Promises
by epcotexpert
Summary: The sequel to "40 Days" that answers the questions, "What happened when our lost Rebels returned to the Alliance? How did Leia cope with the loss of the man she loves, and what were the reactions to their relationship? How was the rescue for Han planned? And the burning question I know you all can't wait to find out…How does Leia feel about Han's response on Bespin?"
1. Prologue

**Well, here it is, the long awaited sequel to "40 Days!" Welcome to "Promises!"**

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This is the second story in my trilogy, set specifically in between "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Return of the Jedi." This is a great period of time for me to write about, because it's very open, and I can very easily connect everything I've written in "40 Days" to the time after and Leia's attempts to rescue Han. For instance, What happened when our lost Rebels returned to the Alliance? How did Leia cope with the loss of the man she loves, and what were the reactions to their relationship? How was the rescue for Han planned? And the burning question I know you all can't wait to find out…How does Leia feel about Han's response on Bespin? I hope that this story will answer these questions and bring a new light to the characters we know and love.

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This is the second fic in the series, and I HIGHLY suggest reading "40 Days" before reading this one. While I'm sure you can read this story as a stand alone, there are many elements that are referred to in "40 Days" and most likely won't make sense if you haven't read that story. Plus, who doesn't love more Han and Leia to read?

The stories are intended to be read in the following order.

40 Days (Set during "The Empire Strikes Back" – Link on my Profile)

**Promises ****(The Current Story)**

Undetermined Title (Set during "Return of the Jedi")

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**Disclaimer: I do not own Star Wars, the characters in this story or anything in the Star Wars Universe. I do on the other hand own a Lego Millennium Falcon and a couple Star Wars T-shirts, along with a few other random things…but that's it. Although I do, very much, wish I owned Han Solo (although some have pointed out that I own a Lego Han Solo…which is, in every aspect, true. LOL)**

**And please note: This story, just as all of my stories, is not proof read other than what I do. If you happen to find an error, which is more than possible, please do let me know and I'll fix it ASAP. I'm not perfect, but having a beta-reader is hard for me since I do write so fast and I like to update quickly. If you'd like to help out though, I'd be more than happy to have a proofreader or two that goes through after the chapter is up. =)**

**Also, some material in this story was NOT originally created by me! At the end of the story you can find a full credits list to all authors where ideas originally came from, along with sites that gave me any sort of information. **

**And FINALLY, I suggest you look into my blog, called "More Than 40 Days." It is the official location of the latest information involving this story, as well as my other fics. I post pictures relating to the story, hints about upcoming storyline and have polls for things such as Upcoming Story Titles. If you are interested, you can find a web address on my profile!**

**Thank you and Enjoy this story!**

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**Promises**

* * *

The moments on Bespin passed by quickly.

They left the carbon freezing chamber, Leia, Chewie and 3P0 surrounded by Stormtroopers, Lando walking calmly in front of them. Further ahead strode Boba Fett, leading the frozen form of Han Solo through the pristine halls of Cloud City.

But before Leia knew what was going on, Luke appeared, and she tried to warn him, because she had already lost Han, and she didn't need to lose him too. Yet all too soon she was pulled away by Stormtroopers.

Much to her surprise, Lando had more tricks up his sleeve. They were surrounded, but no longer by Stormtroopers, instead by Cloud City Security, and as Leia figured, Chewie attempted to choke the man who had betrayed them.

After realizing that Lando really meant to help them, they quickly hurried to try and rescue Han before Boba Fett left the city, but they just missed him, and instead had to make for their lives on the Falcon.

They rescued Luke, who had been hanging from the underside of Cloud City, and escaped, thanks to R2-D2, from the Imperials.

Now, safely in hyperspace, Leia sighed and relaxed back in her chair. She felt like curling up in the dark corners of the Falcon and dying. Han was gone, taken from her like everything else, and it was her fault. But before she could think about anything else, she had to think about Luke, currently sitting across from her in the cockpit. His arm was in a sling, his face scarred with cuts, and his eyes still wild with shock, but all Leia wanted to do was ask the questions running through her head, starting with who had done this to him.

Of course there would be time for questions, there always was, and she realized she would have to explain soon enough the events of not just the last few hours, but of the last month. She would have to explain what had happened on the fateful journey in which she had fallen in love with Han, and meet the disapproving eyes of High Command. Yes, she would have comfort in Chewie, but she knew the wookiee would leave, he would search for Han. Luke might help, but who knew what would happen with him after his experience on Bespin? But no matter what, she knew she wouldn't find the comfort she needed.

The truth was, she had no one. After Alderaan, it was Han. It had always been Han, and now he was the one missing. He was gone. And all she had to remember him by were the last words, the simple words echoing in her mind, over and over again. 'I know.'

"Leia?" croaked Luke, and Leia almost jumped at the sound of her name.

"Yeah?" she asked quietly, meeting his blue eyes.

"Are you ok?"

"I was about to ask you the same thing. Come on, let's get you back to the med bunk" she answered, standing up and avoiding his question, because as she knew very well, she was not ok.

Luke slowly stood as she helped him up, and followed her to the med bunk. He didn't complain when she laid him back down and tended a bit more to the wounds on his face and arm, but he knew he had to ask.

"Leia, what's bothering you?"

She stiffened with the question, but she answered simply, "Nothing."

"I know you better than that. Tell me, what's bothering you?" he asked again.

"Luke, listen. Right now we need to focus on you. You somehow lost an arm back on that planet and we're hardly out of the danger. Please, just leave me be."

Luke was surprised. While Leia often snapped back, it was almost always directed at Han, never at him. And he knew exactly why she was acting that way. It was because of Han. Something had transpired between them, and he had a pretty good idea of what that something was.

* * *

_Journal of the Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan_

_28__th__ Day, 5__th__ Month, 3902__nd__ Year_

_He's gone. He's really gone this time, and the odds of me getting him back aren't that great, because we all know he can't beat the odds every time. But I can't afford to think that way. Not with Luke injured and the Alliance waiting for me. No, I can't. _

_But every time I close my eyes I see him. I meet his gaze once again, the orange glow of the chamber lighting his face. His screams echo in my ears, and his final words plague my mind. I have this terrible feeling that I'll never sleep again, because I'm afraid to. Nightmares will undoubtedly interrupt my sleep, and I don't have Han to comfort me anymore. I have no one. _

_Sure, maybe Luke, but he's got his own problems. And he's not Han. There's Chewie, who can offer some comfort, but he has to focus on getting his best friend back. And he's not Han. Maybe Lando, but who knows if we can trust him. And, once again, he's not Han. _

_But this isn't how Han would want me to think. No, he'd want me to be strong, and if he were in my situation, I know he'd do anything to find me. He protected me in Cloud City, took my torture for me, and had strength in his eyes until the last moment. He would find me, and I will find him. _

_So what do I do now then? Obviously we go back to the Alliance, and I'm sure Chewie will leave as soon as possible to find Han, and Lando will probably go with him. Luke needs medical care, and that can, at least, help me avoid High Command for a while, but I'll have to face them as well. I suppose Rieekan will support me, but I'm sure the rest will oppose. But I'll leave if I have to. I will do anything to get him back. _

_Because I love him. And he knows._

* * *

Leia was curled up in the Captain's chair in the cockpit when Chewie found her. She had no idea how long she had been there, or what had been going on around her, but the wookiee's thoughts interrupted her solitude.

**[Are you alright?]**

She turned and looked at him, "honestly?"

**[As honest as you feel you should be with me, but Han did tell me to protect you, keep that in mind.]**

Leia gave a small smile. Even in times of tragedy, the amazing creature next to her still put his life-debt before anything else, and at the moment, it was Han's request for him to protect her. "No. I'm not alright."

**[Do you want to talk about it?]**

"I don't know Chewie. I don't know if I don't want to or if I can't. I don't know anything anymore" she finished, sighing.

**[We'll get him back you know.]**

"How? He's frozen in a block of carbonate Chewie! Han is captured by a bounty hunter and it's all my fault!"

**[You know that's not true. Han would do anything for you, and he did. He was going to meet a bounty hunter ready to kill him sooner or later anyway, and it is most certainly not your fault.]**

"But if it hadn't been for me, he would have left, and he would have paid off Jabba and then he'd still be ok. But he stayed because of me. That's why Chewie, nothing else!"

**[Princess, I wanted to stay myself. And no matter what, Han stayed because he knew it was the right thing to do. Part of it was for you, but a lot of it was for him. Han hasn't had a family like what we make, you and me and Luke, for a long time. He didn't have someone to go home to like I did.]**

"Well I don't have anyone to come home to either, at least not anymore."

**[No matter what Leia, you still have me, and Luke. And pretty soon you'll have Han back. I promise.]**

"And what if you break your promise?"

**[I won't]** he finished, standing and walking out of the room.

Leia watched him go and then turned her head to watch the stars outside the window. She knew Chewie would do everything with his ability to rescue his friend, but there was always the possibility that he would fail.

But in the last words they spoke to each other, there were unspoken thoughts. Yes, she loved him, and he did know, but within those five words, within the never-ending gaze, lived a promise, not unlike the one the wookiee had made just moments earlier.

"I will find you."

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**Alright…here's all the updates that I've got for you. **

**Please, like I said, continue to check out my blog for all the latest news, including my opinion on the newly announced Star Wars movies and the purchase of LucasFilm by Disney. **

**Secondly, here's the schedule. I leave for my family vacation in just 15 days, and that means that the schedule here might be a little messy…but no fear, I've got it figured out. This chapter is the prologue, and is shorter than the rest. The official "first" chapter of the story will be posted a week from Saturday, which is November 10, 2012. After that a new chapter will be posted each and every Saturday, including the two for which I am in Florida. But please note that if they are a day late or early or something, that I am a busy person down there. I do hope you will watch my videos that I'll be making for my trip as well, which can be found daily on my Youtube channel, which you can find via link from my blog. **

**I think that's about it, but I do hope you will enjoy "Promises." I have a bunch written, but I'm changing the storyline a bit so I have to go back and rewrite…it's the reason I'm doing once chapter per week. That gives me more than enough time to write and edit the chapter before it goes up, since I do everything myself (not that I'm complaining!) **

**So, as always, please leave a review if you feel so inclined, and follow this story if you like as well so you can receive an update each week when I post the new chapter. =) **


	2. The Return

The Return

Just as Leia Organa expected, the return to the Alliance did not pass uneventful. It all started when they were in approach of the fleet, and just as protocol went, they were met with members of Rogue Squadron.

"Yes, I assure you that I _am_ Leia Organa and this _is_ the _Millennium_ _Falcon_."

"Please send your clearance code" came the response.

It was expected for them to be wary of what seemed to be a ghost-ship. It had been over a month since the entire crew of the ship had been seen, and Leia was sure every one of them had been presumed dead.

And then they were met with members of Rogue Squadron while the code was being transmitted by Chewie.

"Princess? Is that really you?" came the unforgettable voice of Wedge Antillies.

"It is, Wedge" she said, a small smile coming to her lips with the thought of old friends…but it disappeared when she thought about the bets and the comment that would be coming any…

"Where's Han? Did you kill him?"

"He's not here."

"So you killed him?"

"No. Just wait until we land and you'll learn of everything soon enough. Luke's on board and he's injured badly, we need to get him to the med-center right away."

"Luke's with you too? Gods, where were all of you?" he asked again over the comm. system between ships.

"It's a long story" Leia commented, and she realized that it couldn't be any closer to the truth. What had happened over the past 40 days was a long story.

"Millennium Falcon, please proceed to the medical frigate. We have a medical team standing by."

Lando stood. "I'll go help Luke off and to the medical team, unless you want to Leia…"

"No, that's fine" she responded simply. The man left, leaving Chewie and Leia alone in the cockpit to dock the ship. Chewie began the docking process, swinging them around to the right to meet the larger ship, but Leia just watched, gazing out into the stars and the vast rebel fleet, but not looking at anything in particular.

**[You know you're going to have to tell them]** Chewie commented softly, looking at her briefly as he slowed the ship before the medical frigate.

"I know" she said, still looking out at the stars. "I just don't know how I'm going to tell them…what I'm going to include…if they'll accept anything that happened to just try to push me in a different direction."

**[Well no matter what, I'll be there with you]** he woofed, and Leia smiled, finally looking away from the stars to gaze at the wookiee.

"Thanks Chewie. First I think Luke needs some medical attention, but I'm sure we'll all be pulled in different directions when we dock anyway, won't we?"

**[No, I'll stay with you. Han ordered me to…]**

"Chewie, you don't need to protect me. I'll be fine."

**[You obviously haven't been fine, and Han was obviously worried about you if he asked me to watch over you.]**

"Let's not do this now" she pleaded as the docking sequence finished and they were attached to the frigate. Chewie didn't respond immediately, but she heard the distinct sound of the top hatch opening and lifting Lando and Luke to the ship above.

**[Come on, let's go]** he said simply, standing from his chair and flipping the final switches to turn the ship off. With one last touch of the chair…Han's chair…Leia stood and followed.

* * *

Once on board the medical frigate, they were all pulled in separate directions. Luke was on his way to the emergency room before Leia even stepped off the Falcon, and Lando was ushered away by members of the security team to make sure he wasn't going to pull any other tricks. Chewie stayed with Leia momentarily as she tried to figure out where to go, but once she found the members of high command, he too left, following to check on Luke.

It was mere seconds between Leia's first sight of General Carlist Rieekan and when she fell into his arms. They knew each other well, and had traveled through many of the same trials and tribulations within, especially, the past three years.

Rieekan, just as Leia, had blamed himself for the destruction of Alderaan. He had waited to issue an order of evacuation, hoping that the Empire was bluffing when it appeared aboard the Death Star three years previous. But, the situation had been very much real, and the planet was destroyed.

After the destruction, he noted to never underestimate the power or will of the Empire again, and officially joined the Rebellion. He was promoted to General soon after, and held his position on High Command, always keeping an eye on the young Princess he knew since the earliest days of her life.

As Leia pulled away they met each other's eyes. There were so many questions, but not enough time. Mon Mothma, the head of the Alliance, stepped between them, bringing Leia into her own embrace.

"Thank Goodness you're safe. After the events on Hoth I am afraid we feared the worst" the older woman said as she pulled away.

"I'm glad to be alive Mon, and I'm glad to be back" Leia answered. "Now, if we could, I'm sure you would like to hold a debriefing, or at least ask me some questions, and I would rather like to see Luke as soon as possible."

"Leia, if you want to go…"

"No Rieekan" she responded, placing a hand on his upper arm to stop him. "Now would be better. There is much you all need to know."

* * *

Leia watched as most of high command left the room. She had spent the last 20 minutes giving them a brief description of what had happened. The escape from Hoth, the pursuit by the Empire, Bespin and the fate of Han Solo, but she knew there would be other questions.

She was left with Mon Mothma and Carlist Rieekan, her two closest advisers in the Rebellion. They were, to a point, her friends as well, but it was not like the relationship she had with Luke or Han. They were like make-shift parents. Rieekan had helped her grieve for Alderaan, a grief they shared, and Mon Mothma had taken her under her wing in the world of Politics, both when she started at the young age of 16 up until now.

"Is there anything else you wish to tell us?" Mon asked, obviously hinting at the quiet moments and deep breathes Leia had taken throughout the story. They had always centered around Captain Solo, and her mind wandered to what could have happened between the young rebel leader and the space pirate.

Leia was silent for a moment. "No, not right now at least. I think I just need some time to work everything out."

"I expect you'll want to go after Solo" Rieekan added, meeting her gaze again.

"Yes, when the time comes. Chewie and Lando will leave soon to begin the search, and Luke will join them once he's cleared to leave."

"What do you wish to do at the moment then?" the older woman asked.

"I suppose get back to work. I expect that with the loss of the base on Hoth there must be a search for a new base beginning. We'll need one if we want to build up strength to defeat the Empire."

"I've been starting search efforts" Rieekan pointed out. "I'd be more than happy for your help. Do you think Skywalker would be willing to help as well?"

"I believe that he will be up to smaller missions at the moment. Like I said, he'll help with the search for Ha…Captain Solo once he feels up to it, but for the moment I believe he'll be of help."

"Good, I'll talk to him once he's in better condition" the General answered.

"I believe we are finished here then" Mon Mothma concluded. "If you wish to visit with Skywalker, feel free to do so. You know where your quarters are on Home One when you are ready."

"Thank you Mon."

"We're so glad to have you back" Rieekan added. "And remember, if you ever need anything, I'm here."

"Thanks" she responded simply. They stood up and Mon left first, but Rieekan and Leia lagged a bit.

"Leia, tell me, what happened between you and Solo?"

Leia was shocked. Was it really that easy to tell? "Many things happened Rieekan, but now isn't the time. I'd really just like to get back to work and begin the search for him."

Rieekan held his tongue. "Alright, I trust you. I'll contact you about the search for a new base sometime tomorrow, if that's alright with you."

"Sounds perfect. Right now though, I really should check on Luke."

"Take care Leia."

"You too."

* * *

_Journal of the Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan_

_29__th__ Day, 5__th__ Month, 3902__nd__ Year_

_I feel like everyone knew about my love for Han before I did. That or it's just really easy to tell that something happened between us. Luke knows something is up, and so does Rieekan, and I'm pretty sure Mon Mothma knows as well. _

_Speaking of Mon and Rieekan, there's much I'm unsure about. So much has happened since I last saw them, but to be fair, they all thought I was dead. Either way, I know that Rieekan would probably support my relationship with Han, not that I plan on telling him about said relationship. Mon Mothma on the other hand, I have no idea. She'll probably think I'm being ridiculous. But I won't get into that now. It's a worry for another day. _

_But currently I need to be with Luke. After he's a bit stronger we'll be scheduled to search for a new base. I suppose I'm fine with that, it will just send me somewhere where I can get my mind off of Han. Chewie and Lando will leave soon, and Luke will join them eventually. Hopefully I too will join them on the search, but it will be much harder for me to leave. Luke can do what he wants…I can't. I have an obligation to the Alliance. It's been my life, especially in the past three years, but it's not the same anymore. _

_The alliance may have been my life, but my heart now belongs to a scoundrel._

* * *

"Leia!" Luke's voice perked up as the woman walked into the room.

"How are you?" she asked, moving between Lando and Chewie to stand at Luke's bedside.

"Better. Still not perfect, but who would be when they're without a hand?" he joked.

"Losing a hand isn't something to laugh about" Leia pointed out. "Did Vader do that to you?"

The smile was lost on Luke's face. "I don't really want to talk about it."

Leia was about to respond, but kept quiet.

**[We were just discussing the plan to look for Han]** Chewie interrupted, breaking the silence and the tense moment.

"And what do you have planned?" Leia asked, turning to the wookiee and taking a deep breath.

"Chew and I are gonna head out tomorrow to head back towards Bespin. Then we'll do some planet jumping, the likely places Fett would stop, before meeting with Luke on Tatooine" Lando answered.

"And what can I do?" All three were silent. "I asked what can I do?" she repeated.

"Leia, the best thing for you would be for you to stay here…" Luke began, but Leia cut him off.

"No Luke, you don't know what's best for me. I want to help. Han's my...friend, and I promised him I would find him. He would do the same thing for me."

"Hey, any of us would, and we're going to look as quickly as possible, and we will find him, but there just isn't much for you to do, planet jumping and basically walking into danger."

**[Luke's right. Han asked me to protect you, and I'm not about to let you into some of these places.]**

She knew they were right. There would be no sense in her running into dangerous situations, especially ones that wouldn't even benefit them. In fact, going into such situations might cause more harm than anything, and throw them back. And more than anything, it certainly wouldn't be what Han wanted.

"You're right Chewie. That's not what Han would want."

Luke was puzzled by her response. He had no idea what had happened between Han and Leia within the last month, but slowly it was becoming more clear, and he was always taught to trust his feelings. Lando, knowing full well the connection Han and Leia had, kept quiet, but met Luke's confused gaze for a moment.

"How soon do you think you'll be able to join us?" Lando asked of Luke, taking the subject away from Leia.

"As soon as possible" he answered quickly.

"Wait, Luke. Make sure you're up for it. We could use you here too" Leia added.

Luke sighed, "I'll stay as long as I can, but Lando and Chewie could really use my help."

Leia looked away, holding back a tear. Everyone would be gone, and she would be alone. "Alright, but I have one condition. I want to be there when he gets out. I want to be the one who takes Han out of the carbonate."

"But Leia…" Lando started, but was cut off by a cry from the wookiee.

**[Of course. I promise you that you'll be there.]**

"Thanks Chewie."

**[Why don't you get some sleep?]**

Leia tensed, but then calmed. "I suppose I should try." She turned to Luke, "You'll call me as soon as you're released or something happens?"

"Of course. Sleep well Leia."

"Goodnight" Lando added.

And without another word, Leia left the room.

* * *

**Alright, I know, not a terribly long chapter, but I've been working pretty trickily, and my time schedule at the moment is CRAZY. But, as promised, there will still be new chapters each Saturday. I wished to have this one up earlier than it is, but I've been busy all day and haven't had a chance until now. **

**Anyway, I've been getting a lot of questions and comments about my opinion on the new Star Wars films. For those who are (insanely) out of the loop, it was released last week that the Walt Disney Company was buying Lucasfilm and the Star Wars Franchise for just over 4 billion dollars. Along with this news, it was released that there will be THREE new Star Wars films, with Episode 7 being released in 2015. **

**Now, my opinion, at the moment, is fairly mixed. While I think it's a GREAT move for Disney to be buying LucasFilm, a partnership that will benefit both companies, I am a bit skeptical about three new films. But don't get me wrong...it has ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the fact that Disney had bought out Lucasfilm. I think their partnership will make the movies stronger, since there's now money to use newer technologies, and more opportunities for Star Wars to expand and grow. There are THREE things, on the other hand, that do worry me. #1 (and most importantly). Will Harrison Ford play Han Solo? This all depends on the script and the time period in which it is written, certainly, and I am THRILLED to hear that Ford is "upbeat" about making yet another three films (even if just to kill off his character...while I hope that does happen, we have to admit that it could). #2. Will John Williams do the music? I feel it will be VERY important if they want to continue the Star Wars franchise. No John Williams would just be awful. And, #3. They need to keep it realistic. I don't want to see any ridiculous things...(can anyone say Jar Jar...or the prequels in general?). I guess this kind of goes back to #1. If they want to make three more films, especially ones concerning our favorite characters, they need to make sure that it all makes sense. **

**On the other hand, I have COMPLETE confidence in Disney and Lucasfilm, and I do want to clear one thing up, since I am getting pretty sick of the Disney taking over Star Wars jokes (it's just getting old). Just because Disney owns Lucasfilm now, and Star Wars, and they are making three more films, DOESN'T mean that DISNEY is making Star Wars. In fact, the entire production will still be done by Lucasfilm...it's just that they are now owned and funded by Disney. The two companies have been "related" for such a long time now, within the parks and out of the parks, and they have done a wonderful job everywhere...so I honestly can't wait to see what will happen and what the future will hold for Han and Leia. **

**So, I hope that answers your questions. Still, feel more than free to leave a review! I do respond to each and every single one personally! Even if you just tell me you love the story...it will certainly keep me going as I write not one, but TWO chapters this week to keep ahead for when I'm gone to Florida. =) And, as always, please check out my blog, where I hope to do some special features, including hints for "Promises" as well as stuff on my own personal writing. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter of "Promises!"**


	3. Good Luck

Good Luck

She was in the holding room, and then Han was brought it. After being strapped to the board, he was slowly lowered towards the torture device, and she watched him struggle, the shocks beginning to ripple through his body. She tried to scream, but no sound came…only the sound of Han's screams echoed through the room. There was nothing she could do to stop it.

Vader came, pushing upon her the fact that this was her fault, but she didn't hear, because the cries were too terrifying. She knew though…this was her fault…she had brought Han into this situation. If it weren't for her he would be safe…but he wasn't.

And then he, for some reason, looked at her, his eyes filled with pain as they met her own. And he cried out her name…he cried out for her help…a help she could not give.

* * *

Leia woke with a start, once again. She was breathing heavily, and without thinking she reached to her side, searching for the warm body she was so used to finding…but he wasn't there.

And then she had to remind herself. Of the past days, of what her nightmare meant…of the fact that Han wasn't there.

Suddenly there was a pounding at the door, and she slowly got up to answer it, calling on her way. "Who's there?

**[It's me]** came the comforting call of a wookiee. Leia quickly opened the door and let him in. He was carrying a small box, and questions ran through her mind.

"What are you doing here so early?"

**[Did I wake you?]**

"That's not what…no" she admitting, knowing that the wookiee knew of her nightmares just as well as Han.

**[Do you want to talk about it?]** he returned.

Leia sighed, "I don't know where to start…"

The wookiee moved and set the box on the table near the sofa, and then sat on the furniture itself. **[I assume it was another nightmare?]**

"Yes, it was…" she continued, moving and sitting across from her friend. "I just don't know what I'm going to do. I mean, Han's been there for so long and now he's just…gone…and…"

**[What was it about?]**

"What?"

**[Your nightmare. Sometimes talking about it…]**

"…helps keep them away, or at least let you understand them. Han said that."

**[We have lived together for a long time]** he pointed out, getting a small laugh out of the Princess.

Leia sighed then. "I just don't know where to start Chewie."

**[Well what happened?]**

"It was about Han's torture on Bespin, but the thing is…all I heard were his cries for help. And then…and then he met my gaze and just pleaded with me to help him, but there was nothing I could do." Leia tired to take a deep breath, but as she was letting it out she just let the tears fall. "I couldn't save him Chewie…and the entire thing was my fault."

**[You know that's not true Leia. None of this was your fault, so don't go thinking that.]**

"But it is true Chewie. If it hadn't been for me, Han would have paid off Jabba a long time ago…and if it hadn't been for me he wouldn't have come back on Hoth, you two would have left and just been safe. And if it hadn't been for me he wouldn't have taken my torture in the first place…and he wouldn't be frozen in carbonate right now either!"

**[Listen]** Chewie said, leaning closer to the girl.** [Han knew what he was doing…I know that no matter what he's more grateful for meeting you than anything else. And did it ever occur to you that he chose to take your torture because he knew it would be more painful to see you go through that again than just take it himself? He loves you Leia…never forget that.]**

"He loves me? Yeah right…he's never said it."

**[What are you talking about?]**

"Chewie…before he was frozen, I told him I love him…you know that, you were there. But then all he returned was 'I know.' That doesn't sound like 'I love you' to me."

**[No, but it's there Leia. He does love you, and he's told me how many times. It's written in the Falcon's logs…it's in his actions. Do you really think he would risk his life, take your torture and not fight when he was facing death yet again, and still not love you?]**

"He went after Luke back on Hoth Chewie…he does that stuff for his friends because he cares about them, that's who he is. That doesn't mean he loves me, it just means he's a caring person. Plus, how could he love someone who just argues with him all the time?"

**[Leia]** Chewie finally growled angrily as he stood up. **[Have you been asleep for the past month? How is it that you spent all that time together only to believe that he doesn't love you? He loves you more than anything in this galaxy…even more than the Falcon. He slept in a chair next to the med bunk when you were injured…he made you special meals…he saved you from committing suicide…he's been there for you each and every night when you've woken from nightmares just like the one you had a few minutes ago…and he looks at you and treats you like you're the most beautiful, precious thing he's ever seen. I've never seen him act like the way he does around you…so what is stopping you from seeing that he loves you?]**

Leia was shocked…never had Chewie become so angry with her. She had no words, and a moment later the wookiee returned to his position on the furniture. **[You need to understand Leia that no matter what happens, Han loves you…and you love him. He may not have said those words, but he still meant it, and we will find him. But you have to always remember that what happened to him is not your fault…don't think that for a second.]**

Finally she broke completely, "I just…I don't know what to do Chewie. You and Lando are leaving, and Luke will leave, and high command just expects me to go back to normal…and I have no idea what Han would even want me to do!"

**[I know exactly what he would want you to do.]**

She looked at him. "And what's that?"

**[He would want you to be strong, to go about being the amazing person you 're tough Leia, not dependent on anyone but yourself, and that hasn't changed. Just because you've let Han become a part of that doesn't mean that losing him is the end of the galaxy. He wants you to keep safe, to keep your strength up…and that means getting sleep and eating normally]** he pointed out. **[And I think that when the time is right, he would want you to find him…but right now isn't that time. Do you understand that?]**

"Yeah…I…I suppose" she said quietly. It was quiet for a moment. "You really think he loves me?"

**[I don't think he loves you…I know he loves you]** he finished, standing and heading towards the door. **[I brought some stuff for you from the Falcon. It's not much, but I thought maybe it would at least comfort you when I can't. We're scheduled to depart around 1100 hours.]**

"Chewie?" she asked, and he turned back around.

**[Yes Leia?]**

"Thank you. I think it's pretty easy to see why Han trusts you so much."

**[Just as it's easy for me to see why Han loves you. Take care Leia.]**

"I will" she finished. And then he turned and left, closing the door behind him.

* * *

As Leia pushed the last few pins into her hair she glanced at her appearance in the mirror. She looked…like a Princess. She didn't look like herself…not the Leia that she had seen the past 40 days, but instead she was the Rebel Leader…the girl who had a job to do, leading the Alliance in the fight against the Empire.

She stood and straightened out her dress, a white one she had found in her closet. It was normal for her…at least normal for the Leia that stood here now…the Rebel leader.

It was only a short time until Luke's surgery would begin, unfortunately scheduled at the same time as the departure of the Millennium Falcon. But Chewie had insisted she be with Luke instead of seeing him off…because they would see each other again, so saying goodbye would be pointless. And so, Leia listened. The wookiee was right…they would see each other again, and right now the most important thing for her to do would to be with Luke. He would need her more than anyone at the moment.

With one last glance in the mirror she walked out of her quarters and headed toward the transport to the medical frigate. The Falcon was still docked there even though Lando had stayed the night on Home One. Chewie had stayed with the Falcon, never wanting to leave it alone, especially without Han around.

She gazed at the ship from the window of the transport, and it slowly grew closer. It's size was small compared to the frigate, but it was none less amazing to her. In fact, she found that over the past month the ship had grown on her…maybe because she had worked on it so often…or maybe because the ship was, after all…Han. It reflected him everywhere, even in the most unlikely of places, and it was comforting.

But she knew that comfort would leave...but at the same time, just as Chewiie has insisted that morning, she was strong. Never before was she dependent on someone like she had been for the past 40 days, even her own father, and that meant that there was no reason for her to act any different now. Her main focus would still, of course, be finding Han, but she would continue her duty to the Alliance as well. The part that was bothering her was the fact that members of High Command wouldn't be happy about her relationship with the smuggler, but she would face that challenge when it came.

As the ship docked and she moved onto the Medical Frigate, Leia bumped into Lando, heading back towards the Falcon.

"Princess."

"Lando" she returned coldly, trying to push past him.

"Hey, wait" he called, and lightly grabbed her arm, turning her back towards him.

"What?"

"I just wanted to say sorry for whatever it is I did. I know that on Bespin I wasn't exactly the first person you would trust, especially after I turned you over to the Empire. But you have to understand that I had no choice. It was either turn you three in or we all get killed. I only did what I could to help you."

"Fine" she continued, trying to move away towards Luke's room once again.

"And hey...I really am sorry about Han, you know that right? I'll do everything I can to bring him back to you."

That made Leia stop, and for a moment she was silent. "Thanks, and I wish you good luck. May the force be with you" she responded finally.

Lando nodded, "And also with you Leia." Then Lando turned and continued on towards the Falcon. Leia watched him go, and he waved as the door closed. When he was gone Leia turned and continued towards Luke's room, and when she sailed through the doors, he was already sitting on the other side, his arm hooked up to a series of medical droids.

"Leia!" he exclaimed happily.

"Good morning Luke" she returned, moving near the bed he was on. Luke was wearing a smile, but it faded when Leia just gazed out the window at the Corellian ship preparing to leave.

"You really care about him don't you?"

I love him" she responded, and was surprised at how easily the phrase came out.

He studied her for a moment, "I don't get one thing though. You and Han have both always been so independent. How is it that you two all of a sudden have come to need each other so much?"

"I don't know" she laughed. "I guess it's because, for me, after Alderaan my entire life turned upside down, and he was the one to turn it back to normal. You helped too, of course" she added, turning to him, "But it was Han that brought so much light back into my life filled with darkness."

Luke was silent, and the room grew awkward. Leia looked at the man beside her, "Look, I know you liked me and stuff, but...Luke, you're like the brother I never had. Han...Han is just different. I love the both of you, just in different ways."

"I understand" he returned, grabbing her hand with his good one. "Sure, I liked you, maybe I still do, I don't know. But you and Han...I saw it from the start. The very second you yelled at him to jump into the garbage chute." Leia laughed. "Leia...I'm happy for you, and I'm happy for Han. I just want to make sure that you're going to be ok without him for a while. I have no idea how long it's going to take to get him back. It could be a week, it could be a year, it could be never."

"I will be Luke. I may love him, but I can still take care of myself. I'm still the rebel leader and firey princess you knew before," she smiled, "I just have let Han become a part of that. And spare me the lecture about eating because Chewie already gave me that."

It was Luke's turn to laugh, "I didn't know you speak wookiee."

"I knew a bit from my studies back on Alderaan, but I improved on the way to Bespin."

"You never told me everything that happened. And since you obviously fell for Han, I want to know what he did so I can find someone for myself...that way I won't feel awkward around you two when we get him back."

Their laughs were interrupted by the signal from Lando. "Millennium Falcon to Luke, do you read me?"

"Yeah, we hear you Lando" Luke responded into the comm.

"When we find Jabba the Hutt and that Bounty Hunter, we'll contact you."

"I'll meet you at the rendezvous point on Tatooine."

Lando's voice came again, "Princess, we'll find Han. I promise."

"Chewie, I'll be waiting for your signal."

**[I'll send it as soon as we're established. And Leia...take care. I don't want to rescue Han just to have him come back to nothing]** the wookiee wailed over the comlink.

Leia smiled as Luke responded one last time, "Take care, you two. May the Force be with you."

And then Leia moved, stepping towards the window to watch the Falcon depart. She could faintly make out the forms of Chewie and Lando in the cockpit, and silently she said goodbye. Luke made a sound behind her as the medical droid pricked Luke's fingertips, and moments later she felt his hand on her shoulder, pulling her into a half embrace as the ship outside undocked from the medical frigate.

The Millennium Falcon quickly departed, and she stood watching it go, wondering what the future would bring. Questions ran through her mind, asking her what she would do, how long Han would be gone, and if he would even come back.

* * *

**Well, finally I got this finished. It took a little while because I had to find the script to Empire to make sure I got the lines right at the end...because I haven't had time to sit down and watch the movie while writing lately...which is really depressing, but still! **

**I am very sorry for the long delay, but I'm hoping to have a bunch of chapters up soon. This week is a bit busy for me again, but this weekend is pretty open. At the moment I'm uploading pictures from my trip to Facebook and writing at the same time. I do have some work to do on my end though, as I want to re-read all of "40 Days" and take notes on all of it so I know what's been said and what I can use as "memories" and future storyline. So when the next chapter will be up, I have no idea. I do HOPE that I'll have another one up on Wednesday, and if not, Saturday, but right now I can't make any promises. I can tell you though that Christmas break in a couple of weeks is going to be very focused on finishing up the stuff I haven't been doing the past few weeks outside of school...which very much includes all of my writing. So soon, my lovely readers, soon!**

**Also, I'd like to point out that this chapter marks the end of "The Empire Strikes Back" which is pretty big for me. I have very little to go on...which I'm both nervous and excited about! It means that I can write whatever I like...but it also means that I have little characteristics to go off of! I mean, I have some in Jedi...for instance the change in Leia...from being dependent to once again, independent as she figures out what her relationship with Han really means, and of course Luke and his dealing with things. I am very excited about two characters in this story though...Chewie and Lando. Both will become larger characters than what you saw in "40 Days." You can see them beginning already...and I'm just very excited about that. =)**

**And so, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Please review if you feel inclined and I want to thank each and every one of you for waiting so long! I've got other ideas in my head too...but "Promises" is my main priority at the moment. =) While I do wait as I read "40 Days" and take those notes, if I do have to miss a week of this story, I will hopefully have an update somewhere else for you, just to fill in the time between. =)**


	4. A Path to Follow

A Path to Follow

It was just as Leia walked into her quarters that her comm. went off. Grabbing the forgotten device off the table nearby, she answered it.

"Leia. Rieekan here. I wanted to contact you about the search efforts for a new base. Would it be possible for you to meet me in my office?" came the voice over the comm.

"Of course. I'll be there in a few minutes" she replied before signing off. Sighing she took a quick glance around the room and debated changing out of her dress. Deciding she would, Leia hurried into the make-shift bedroom of her quarters.

It was a plain room, metallic walls, the color of the ship, with a small bed situated in the middle. Against the far wall sat a dresser and next to it was the door to her small fresher. A lamp and chrono sat on the table next to the bed.

The last piece of furniture was a small white chair, a piece of Alderaan she still treasured. Formally, the chair had been situated in the royal palace on her home planet, but when the Rebellion was started, it was one of the few pieces of furniture her father had brought to make his own quarters aboard Home One more comfortable. After the destruction of Alderaan and her father's death, it was the only thing she had taken from what used to be his quarters. The rest was left untouched in his memory, but Leia never dared to go there. In fact, she couldn't remember sitting in that chair one time since it had found it's place there.

Now, something else sat upon the chair. Laying over it half-hazardly was Han's shirt. It was the one she had rescued from Bespin, the shirt she had pulled on under her snowsuit when the Stormtroopers had ordered her to change. Leia had completely forgotten about it until she had returned to her quarters the other night, and it was only now that she noticed it again.

Walking slowly over to the chair, the one that, with the shirt sitting on it, represented everything she had lost, she forced herself to breath. Her fingers ran over the cool fabric of the chair until they reached the rough fabric of the shirt, and she picked it up. Holding it up to her nose, she breathed in the scent of Han, and for a brief moment it calmed her.

Setting down the shirt on the chair again, she moved to the dresser and pulled out the standard Alliance uniform. It wasn't the one she normally wore, which was white, but instead it was the same as everyone else. Khaki pants, brown boots and a light green top, and she figured it would become an outfit she would wear often within the next few months.

She also knew of the implications, of what her wearing color might mean to people. Up until then she had only worn white, the symbol of her virginity, and something that was not taken lightly for a Princess, especially the last Princess of a destroyed planet. But Leia found she didn't care.

Checking herself in the mirror once more, Leia found she did look more like herself. Pieces of hair had pulled out of her bun, but they lightly framed her face, and the colored uniform gave her an older appearance.

And without a second thought, she walked out of her quarters.

* * *

As she entered Rieekan's office, she did not hear another startled gasp, just as those she had heard all the way from her quarters in response to her appearance, but instead a small laugh. One she knew was accompanied by a smile.

"How many people gasped or started screaming while you were walking down here?" asked the older man from behind his desk.

Leia moved towards him, gently taking a seat in the nearby chair, "Oh, just about one from every single person I passed, which was a lot, considering my quarters are on the other side of the ship."

"I assume you are wearing them to make a point?"

"Not as much of a point. I just realized I'm sick of wearing white. My uniforms were specially made, they weren't the same as everyone else, which is what I've been saying for years."

"You're very right, but you do realize the implications this puts on your trip with Captain Solo, correct?"

"Of course I do Rieekan, but I can assure you nothing happened. I just want to feel more like myself. Plus, who really said I had to wear white until…" she coughed…"Until you know."

"Well Leia, I have to say, you've always been a rebel at heart, so why stop breaking the rules now?"

"Speaking of being a rebel, you wanted to talk to me about the search efforts for a new base?"

Rieekan's smile slowly faded as he pulled a folder off a nearby shelf. He handed it to her, being careful not to spill the contents. "Here's the listing of possible planets now. We have plenty of options, but High Command is unsure if we should spend time building a new base or if we should stay as a movable team with an easy escape route from the Empire and…"

"And easy way to attack them as well" Leia finished for him. "There certainly are a lot of planets to choose from, but high command brings up a good point. It would be much easier to avoid or prepare attack against the Empire without having to worry about them finding our new base just after we finish it."

"I agree. The challenge is that preparing for battle solely in mid-space isn't easy."

"Of course not, and that's where the Empire has us beat out. They have almost every planet in the galaxy under their control, and they are able to easily land and repair. We don't have that power."

"Which is why we need to find a planet that is far away and unlikely for the Empire to search us out on, just until we are prepared to fight."

"I'm sure Mothma is preparing for a final attack" Leia said flatly as she continued to searching through the possibilities for a planet.

Rieekan sighed, "All of high command feels that our next attack will be out last. Our army is big enough for us to easily destroy the Empire now." He lowered his voice, "Although I'm not so sure. There have been rumors of a second Death Star being under construction."

Leia looked up at him quickly, "How is that possible? It took them nearly 20 years to build the first one, and it should take them just as long to build another."

"That's what I thought too" he said, leaning back in his chair, "But they've gotten a good start, and we estimate it to be finished within the next year."

"A year?" Leia gasped, and Rieeken told her to keep quiet.

"A year. I know, it's terrible timing, with you wanting to go and search for Han and all."

Leia was quiet, and she bit her lip lightly, as if trying to decide. Rieeken noticed and responded to her, "I'm not asking you to choose Leia."

She met his eyes, "I know."

"But other members of the Alliance will want you to choose, and I'm sure you already know which side they will want you to take."

"And if you wanted me to choose a path, which would you want for me?"

"I'd want you to walk the one that makes you happy. The Alliance won't be here forever Leia. We will either win this war, or we will all die, but we both know that if we do win, there will be little for us on the other end."

"You know that's not true. You have…"

"I know what I have Leia…and you know what you have. If staying here and working until we have won is the thing that makes you happy, then do that. But something tells me that you would much rather be out searching for the captain of the Millennium Falcon."

Leia sighed, unsure if she should tell him anything more. Instead, she stood up and closed the folder. "Thanks Rieekan. I'll go through these and come back with my opinion soon. I'll see you at the meeting tomorrow."

"Of course Leia. Have a nice evening" he responded simply, and he watched her walk out the door.

* * *

It had been hours since Leia had first sat down at the table in her quarters to sort through the numerous options for a new rebel base, and slowly she went through each one, making notes of the pros and cons of each planet on a datapad beside her.

Frustrated as she read of another frozen planet in the outer rim, Leia groaned and leaned back in her chair. She glanced at the chrono feature on the data pad and saw that it was already quite late, but she was startled by a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" she asked, staying where she was, but leaning back towards the papers.

"It's Luke. Could I come in?" came the response, and she yelled back an affirmative. It was moments later that she heard his voice again, this time much clearer. "What are you up to at this hour of the night?"

"I could ask you the same thing, only about why you're in my quarters" she responded.

"Hey" he smiled, "I asked you first."

She returned his expression, "Rieekan gave me the files for the possible planets for a new base. There's just so many options, and High Command isn't even sure we should make another one before the final attack against the Empire."

"Final attack?" Luke asked as he picked up the nearest paper.

Leia ran a hand over her face, "Yeah. They feel that our time for attack is near…and that it will be the battle to end this stupid war."

"But Rieekan thinks that we should have a base on Neka instead?" he asked, looking over one of the forms.

"Or Takornan, Carz, Ealor or Ovise IV" she answered. "Do you want something to drink?" she asked him, standing to find herself a glass of water.

"No thanks, but why so many different planets? When we searched for Hoth we only had two. There seems to be about 10 possibilities here."

Moving back from the small kitchen with a glass in hand, Leia responded, "Well, I guess it's because we really have to be careful about where we are going this time. Plus, none of these planets are known. There isn't much known about any of them, other than what the Alliance missions have found so far."

"So it's because these planets aren't really even on the records of the Empire?"

"Right. Plus it needs to be possible for us to make a strong, hidden and livable base for the entirety of the Alliance. We won't be splitting up like we have in the past."

"I don't know much about military, I just fly a ship, but isn't that dangerous…having everyone in one place?" Luke asked, setting the paper back on the table.

"Of course it's dangerous, but if we're going to be planning for a final large assault, we need everyone to train and prepare together. We can't have half of the troops off on another base halfway across the galaxy. It's risky but if we want to succeed we're going to need to keep it that way."

"So what kinds of planets are we looking at?"

"Well, there's been talk of returning to Hoth. It's one of the last places the Empire would look for us, especially if we made it look as if the base was still torn to shreds."

"Makes sense, but I'm not really looking forward to returning to that ice cube."

"My thoughts exactly" she laughed. "Other than that it's a pretty wide range. There's another frozen planet, fairly similar to Hoth, just with less mountains and more ice. A couple temperate planets similar to Yavin IV, and of course, a lovely dessert planet. I'm sure you'd love it there" she kidded.

"Oh yeah, because I'm very much looking forward to more sand when I meet up with Chewie and Lando on Tatooine."

The mention of Han's rescue made Leia fall silent. Luke noticed and simply asked if anything was wrong. "No I'm fine. I just…I want to thank you for helping find Han. I know you haven't left yet or done anything, but even your support and promised help is worth thanking."

"He's my friend Leia…and he obviously means something to you. I'm not going to let him die without a fight. Plus, I owe him two" he laughed, trying to lighten the mood. Leia just smiled.

"I think we all owe Han something. You owe him for him saving your life, Chewie owes him that life debt, rogue squadron owes him for training help, and 3P0 owes Han for allowing all droids in this galaxy to live."

"And what do you owe him for Leia?"

"For more than you'll ever know."

* * *

_Journal of the Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan_

_30th__Day, 5th__Month, 3902nd__Year_

_What exactly should the Alliance be doing in this situation?_

_While it's pretty hard to figure out, I actually am starting to think that the question means more of 'What should I be doing?' than anything else. _

_The Alliance could go and travel to a distant planet to prepare for the battle just like I could stay with them and prepare for the battle of the future…prepare to end the Empire. It's all very risky, just as every day I've spent with the Rebels has been a danger to my life. But I do it anyway, because I hate the Empire just as much as the next person, if not more at this point. After everything they've done to me. Plus, it makes us like sitting bantha…the entire Rebel Alliance in one spot. And if the Empire DOES have a new Death Star up their sleeve, they could wipe us all out with the flash of a laser beam. _

_But at the same time, the Alliance could stay in space. Preparing for battle is harder, and it takes longer, but the risk of being found is greater too. But it would make us more mobile. We would easily be able to escape with nearly the entire fleet unharmed, in the case the Empire finds us and decides it would be a good time to kill us off. While we wouldn't be a sitting bantha, we would be basically sitting out in the open, and we would have to be on guard all the time. It's just like how instead of staying here I could go and help on the mission to find Han. I'm out in the open, clear for danger to attack me, but maybe in the end it's what needs to happen. _

_So it leaves the question. Do I stay or go? Like Rieekan said, what's going to make me happy? I know that Han would kill me, well Chewie probably, if he found out that something happened to me while searching for him. He would want me to stay and be safe. But there is no one "Safe" place. I'd be in danger on the Falcon and I'm in danger here. _

_But there is one thing I'm certain of…and that's which option would make me happy, and that option has nothing to do with being a sitting bantha._

* * *

**I am honestly amazed with how quickly I wrote this chapter. Considering the fact that I haven't written much in about a month…this one was pretty easy to do.**

**I've been working pretty hard on reading "40 Days," and as always, I'm being the over-criticizing author. I honestly hate most of it...except for this one moment in the middle that I for some reason or another just can't get over how much I love it. Probably just their actions or something...but I'll do a blog post on that some other time. **

**Anyway, hints for upcoming chapters: What's in that box Chewie brought? What will High Command discuss in their upcoming meeting? What will the remainder of High Command think of Leia's appearance? And how will Mon Mothma feel about the entire thing? Also, be ready to see more of those Rogues…Wedge, Wes and Hobbie! They'll be coming into the story in the future!**

**I hope you all enjoyed this chapter of "Promises" and please review if you feel like it! I love receiving those!**

**And finally, I would like to wish you all a Happy Holiday season! Please be safe, happy and surrounded by fun, food, family, friends and good times! I hope to be posting yet another chapter before the new year!**


	5. MIA

MIA

It was early the next morning when a knock once again sounded on Leia's door. She answered it, knowing very well that it would be Luke, who had offered the night before to meet her before the meeting with High Command.

"Good morning Leia" he said simply as he walked in. "I assume you're not ready quite yet?" he asked in reference to her unbound hair.

She yawned slightly, "No, not quite. I didn't sleep well."

"You look it" he said rather matter-of-factly. He paused, "I worry about you sometimes. You really should be getting more sleep."

"If only I could" she said quietly.

"You're not overworking yourself again are you? Not already? Leia…you've been back to the Alliance for three…"

"I'm not overworking Luke. I promise that I went to bed not long after you left" she said, staring at herself in the mirror as she plaited her hair.

"Oh. Well don't start overworking" he responded awkwardly, sitting down on the chair in the living area. They were both quiet for a number of minutes while he waited for her, but soon he glanced at a box sitting on the table in front of him. "What's all of this stuff?"

Leia appeared from her bedroom, hair finished, and responded. "Chewie brought it. Nothing much, just some stuff Chewie brought me." She moved closer to Luke, who was now holding a holo of the three of them, Luke, Leia and Han, from some point many years before.

"We look so much younger."

"Well, I suppose we've all grown up a lot, haven't we?" she asked, leaning over the side of the chair to view the picture.

"We have, I'm not so sure about Han. He's always been the older one."

Leia almost laughed, remembering a discussion she had with Han many mornings before. "Well he is 15 years older."

Luke glanced at Leia, "And you're…ok with that? It's not…I mean…"

This time she did laugh, "Honestly, we thought it was pretty funny." Her laugh quieted when she realized how she was speaking…as if Han would walk through the door any minute. There was another moment of silence between the two friends before Leia spoke again, "Come on, we should get going. We don't want to be late to our first meeting back."

"Yeah" Luke responded simply, studying her expression for a moment before placing the holo back in the box and following her towards the door.

* * *

"Staying in space and avoiding a new base will provide us with an easy evacuation plan and attack situation. It's more difficult but will provide us with a better strategy in the end" Leia argued.

She was standing now, giving her opinion on the new base possibilities. At the head of the table to her right was Mon Mothma. The two politicians were separated by Rieekan, and on Leia's opposite side sat Luke, followed by Wedge Antilles. Around the table sat numerous other leaders of the Rebellion, and it appeared that for the first time since before Yavin, all members were present.

"Well of course Princess, but it is quite difficult to plan a battle in space, I assure you" came a response from Crix Madine, head of Special Forces Command. "Attempting to prepare for a large assault against the Empire while in the middle of open space is a particularly dangerous thing to do."

"Yes, it is dangerous, but that doesn't mean it's a bad idea. If we create a base on planet, what happens if the Empire finds us there? Won't it just be another episode of Hoth?" Leia asked, and suddenly the room fell quiet.

"I suppose you are correct" Madine responded after a few moments of silence. Leia nodded lightly and then sunk into her chair, giving a look to Luke, who appeared just as confused as she was to the sudden silence in the room.

"Shall we vote then?" asked Rieekan, breaking the awkward silence.

Mon Mothma cleared her throat and took over, "Of course. All in favor of preparing for battle as a mobile unit, say I."

Numerous voices around the room echoed a response.

"All opposed?" Nothing. The vote was unanimous. "Then we are finished here. Council dismissed." Everyone began to stand, but Mon talked once more, "Leia, could I speak to you for a moment?"

Leia glanced at Luke and then turned back to the older woman, "Of course. Would you like to speak here or in your office?"

"Here is fine, thank you. We'll just wait for everyone to leave."

"You gonna be ok?" Luke asked before he left.

"Yeah, I'll be fine. You get going. I'm sure you have better things to be doing" she responded, giving a small smile.

"Nah. I'll wait for you outside" he laughed before following Wedge out the door.

Once the last members of high command left the room and the door slid shut behind them, Leia turned back to Mon Mothma.

"Leia, I'm not sure what happened between you and Captain Solo, but your choice of attire is extremely inappropriate."

"Mon, if I may say so, it sounds as if you are inferring something happened between myself and Solo, when I can assure you nothing of the sort took place."

"Then how do you explain your sudden change in…uniform?"

"I simply grew tired of wearing white. It seemed silly to be spending extra Rebellion funds on special uniforms for me when my planet has been gone for three years. Why should I continue some of these traditions when it only costs extra for the Alliance and doesn't do me any good, not to mention there is no longer anyone around to care much."

"Leia! How could you say such a thing?" Mon gasped. "The traditions of your planet and any other planet or religion destroyed by the Empire will continue to reign long after the end of the Emperor himself. You must uphold these traditions for the future, not destroy them all together."

"Well if that is how you feel, I can explain my change of uniform as the fact that I grew tired of wearing all white. It is such a formal color" Leia responded coldly. In fact, she was surprised at the voice.

"How dare you speak to me that way? I know I'm not your mother, but I was under the impression that when you left you at least had some respect for those who took you under their wing."

"And I still do respect you Mon, very much so. You have always been an inspiration to me, but I need you to understand that this is what I want. What I wear is my choice, and it is not determined on my love life or social status." As she finished, Leia quickly turned, suddenly not wanting to listen to any further complaints, and headed for the door.

She didn't listen as Mothma continued to call after her, as she found Luke and Wedge pressed up the opposite side of the door as she exited. "Evesdropping much?" The door slid shut behind her.

"I don't know what Solo did to you, but you sure aren't an Ice Princess anymore" Wedge commented quickly, and Luke elbowed him.

"Well I'm not sure how much of an 'Ice Princess' I am," Leia responded, "but I can assure you that what happened between me and Han will stay strictly between us."

"Someone's got to know though. Chewie probably does" Wedge whispered to Luke as she took a few steps away. But Leia heard, and turned around to face them both.

"Chewie won't say anything either…plus, I'm pretty sure that of the three of us only one knows how to communicate with him" she responded coldly. "Now, if you two don't mind, please stay out of my personal matters and get back to work."

As Leia walked away Wedge whispered again, "Nope…still Ice Princess."

* * *

"I assume Mon's reaction wasn't pleasant?" Rieekan asked to the girl sitting across his desk.

"You could say that again. She kept going on about how I need to uphold traditions."

"You should Leia…but I do know that your father would want you to be happy. He'd want you to make your own decisions, not abide by the decisions others make for you."

"But that doesn't mean that my decisions are the right ones."

"If you're asking if I think you are making the right decision on taking your own path, then I have to respond that I think you're doing exactly what you should be doing."

Leia gave a small smile, "Thanks, but I just can't help but wonder if my father would want me to go my own way or still uphold the traditions he tried so hard to keep."

"Well Leia, I don't know about you, but I can assure you that your father was never exactly fond of the hairstyles your aunts put you in." They both laughed, "And you should have seen him after your first ball. He wanted to murder his sisters."

"He didn't look to happy the time they had me spend an entire day learning the different between midnight and navy blue either" she added.

"And what about that time you were supposed to be at weaponry and instead they had you in dance lessons?"

"I always hated those dance lessons."

"I know you did. And so did your father. You see Leia, your father tried to uphold traditions, but he also wanted you to take your own path, and he certainly didn't want to see you doing something you didn't want to."

"So your saying that I should do what my heart tells me to do?"

"Yes."

"And what if I don't know what my heart is telling me?"

"Then follow your instincts, and do something for yourself for once. The Alliance survived for a few months without you…we'll survive again."

Leia was quiet for a moment. "But what if I feel like I'm abandoning the Alliance? It was my father's dream, and it's my purpose in life. I was meant to be a leader here."

"Maybe, but does that mean that you need to give everything for it? You've already given your time, health, planet, family and life for this cause…don't give up love."

"How did you…"

"I think I know love when I see it Leia. Don't give up on him, and don't give up on you. I know what you want to do."

"And you think that's the right thing to do? You think that when Chewie and Lando return I should go with them?"

"That's not what I said. I think we both know, and I'm sure Chewbacca would back me up on this, that Han wouldn't want you to run into danger for him. He'd want you to be safe. There's plenty you can do here at the Alliance to help find him."

Leia looked skeptical. "Like what?" she asked, shifting in her seat so she had one leg under her.

"Supplies. It would be a lot easier for them to keep running if they have fresh supplies."

"Mon wouldn't…"

"I don't care about Mon. We may be preparing for battle, but we have more than enough. And even if she did protest, Solo's given more than enough for us to plan a rescue for him."

"That doesn't mean that the Alliance will offer men to help with his rescue."

"No, but we can offer ships for transport, as well as fresh supplies and medical services if needed, especially when he returns."

"You make it sound like he'll survive" Leia said quietly.

"He won't unless you believe he will. Speaking of that, there's something else you could work on. I assume you will be there when he is released from the Carbonate…but I also believe he is the first to survive the freezing process."

"So I should look into what to expect when he gets out and how to care for him."

"Exactly."

The room was quiet again, for a moment. "And you're sure I'm doing the right thing?" Leia asked.

"I've never been more sure of something in my life" Rieekan responded.

* * *

Later that evening Leia walked into the dining hall of Home One and was waved over by Luke and Wedge, who were sitting at a table by themselves. She walked toward them and quickly sat down.

Luke's smile fell. "You're not eating anything?" he asked, worried.

"No, I ate earlier. I just got out of a meeting with Rieekan and figured I'd find you here." She turned to Wedge, "I wanted to ask you about the meeting this morning."

"Ask away" Wedge replied quickly, leaning back in his chair.

"When I talked about Hoth, what was that all about? I don't think I've ever seen a room full of High Command go that quiet before…well, since Alderaan at least."

Wedge looked down for a moment, and then back up, looking between Luke and Leia. "Well…it's a bit of a story."

"I have time" Leia returned, and then gave a look to Luke that told him he'd be staying as well.

Wedge looked uneasy. "I'm not sure what all happened to you, as obviously I wasn't at the meeting the other day, but I'm sure you know the speeders all went out and the troops were on the field."

"Of course, but our lines weren't meant to hold for long, just long enough for transports to leave" Leia responded.

"Right. Well after the command center was hit, which I assume is not long before Solo got you out, all hell broke loose up on the field. There's not much of a record of what happened, and I wasn't there myself, but a lot of people died."

"As terrible as it sounds, that's not odd, right?" Luke asked.

"No, it's a battle after all. But we really lost a lot of people."

"Ok, so the death toll was high. That still doesn't explain why the room was so quiet."

"I assume part of it was because you two were there. After you guys went missing, no one knew what to do. Everyone was kind of in this constant state of sadness. Between you two and Solo, pretty much everyone was affected by the loss. But that's not it. Aside from everyone we know is dead, there are a lot of people missing. I assume you haven't seen the MIA list yet."

"No, I haven't caught up on everything since I've been back."

"Well then you wouldn't know that Mothma's son is missing."

The words struck Leia like she was run over by a bantha. Mon Mothma's son…that was one member of the Alliance she knew. Jobin had traveled with her in her earliest days in the senate, and was the one constant friend Leia had other than Winter.

Of course, nothing had ever become romantic between them, but Leia did regard Jobin as a close friend. Sadly they had grown further apart since their travels years beforehand, but the impact that his possible death brought was odd for a person so used to losing ones she loved.

"Leia…are you ok?" Luke asked, his eyes once again filled with worry.

"Yeah…I'm…I'm fine."

"I know you knew him" Wedge said quietly, and Luke responded to him with a quizzical look.

"Yeah, I did. I've known him for a long time."

"How did you meet him?" Luke asked, still confused.

"Through the senate. Mon was kind of a role model for me, and she helped me a lot at first. Well, because we travel so much, my father and I would often travel with Mon and her son, Jobin. We became friends because we were around the same age. I guess he was a year or two older, but we were the only ones even close."

"Remember, he's just MIA, that doesn't mean he's dead."

Leia looked up at Wedge, "how many people do you know that were reported MIA and then returned?"

They were quiet for a moment, but Wedge answered, "You."

* * *

**A little bit of a shorter chapter, but it started out a lot of storylines. I'm hoping to begin the portion of the story focusing around Chewie and Lando in the next chapter, but I can't promise anything yet.**

**I know I myself have been kind of MIA, but it's mostly because of finals. I've been so busy that I'm amazed I had time tonight to finish off this chapter that I started a month ago. Luckily after the next two weeks or so my schedule clears up a lot and I should have more time…which I guess I say a lot, but it really is true. I wasn't expecting finals to take up so much time, but I was sick with Bronchitis a few weeks ago and that just caused some problems for me because I missed three days of school. I am hoping to write a special for Repairs for Valentine's, but other than that, my primary focus is this story! =)**

**If you find any errors, please just let me know if your review or send me a PM, I'll fix them right away! =)**

**But I do hope you enjoyed this chapter, and if you feel so inclined, please review. I love hearing your thoughts!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	6. Sullust

Sullust

Chewbacca sat alone in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon. Outside the blue swirling of hyperspace flew by, but he wasn't watching. He wasn't looking at much of anything. Just sitting. Just thinking.

It had been only a few days since they had left the Alliance behind and started their search for Han. They had already headed back to Bespin, but found the city still surrounded by the Empire. Star Destroyers had lined the space around the planet, and they had almost been caught, but somehow it seemed that the Solo luck was in the ship as much as it was in her owner, and they escaped.

Figuring that Fett wouldn't take the most direct route to Jabba, they decided to head towards Sullust, as even if he stopped on other planets previous, he would be likely to stop there. It was their best chance, and even so, maybe someone had seen him, or at least knew something about where he was headed before Tatooine.

Looking up briefly at the blue outside, Chewie went over the idea that he could be just headed straight to Tatooine again, but something told him that wasn't the Bounty Hunter's plan. That would be too easy…too simple for the Alliance to ambush him and take back Solo. No, he would have to stop other places first. Chewie just hoped he would stay in a relatively straight line towards Tatooine, and not head back towards the inner core. Still, it was a possibility.

When the hatch opened behind him, Chewie made no move. He knew who it was.

"Something you want to talk about?"

**[Not really, why?]** Chewie responded simply.

Lando sat in the captain's chair, "Well I'm not sure what's happened in the past few years, but you never used to be this quiet."

**[I'm just thinking, that's all. Just going over the plans in my head again. I just want to be sure we're not missing something.]**

"Chewie, we've been over this a billion times…"

**[I know we have!]** he growled suddenly, turning towards the human.

Lando held up his hands in surrender, "Sorry, sorry. I know I'm not exactly the first guy you probably want to trust right now, but I'm not leading us into a trap!"

**[If the Princess trusts you, then so do I.]**

"Who says Leia trusts me?"

**[I never said she did.]** The cockpit grew silent, and both turned to watch the movement of the ship.

"Look" Lando started a few minutes later. "I'm sorry for what happened, I really am. But it wasn't my choice to do that to Han. I wouldn't have agreed to that in a million years. He promised no one would be hurt."

**[That's the thing. You never trust Vader with something like that.]**

"And how was I supposed to know? Listen Chewie, you have been around these guys for the past what, three years now? I met them a week ago. You can't expect me to know everything."

Chewie looked at him, and for the first time Lando noticed the combination of anger, sadness and exhaustion in the wookiee's eyes. **[I'm sorry too. It's just…my life debt to Han. That should be me frozen in Carbonate, not him. He should be back at the Alliance with Leia.]**

"Do you really think Han would let you do that for him? You know just as well as I do that he wouldn't be back with Leia and the Alliance, he'd be sitting here in the same position you are…looking for you."

**[Han's changed Lando. You remember Bria, right?]**

"How could I forget?" he asked sarcastically, turning away briefly.

**[And you remember how Han looked at her, correct?]**

"Yep" Lando sighed.

**[Take that and multiply it by my age. That's how he looked at Leia for the last month. He's not going to leave her like he left all the others.]**

"Doesn't mean he wouldn't come after you."

**[Well if he was smart he'd know that I want him to be with his new family. I want him to be with Leia.]**

"And he doesn't want you to be with your family? Chewie, how many times has Han tried to call you off and send you home? I know I haven't been around all this time, but I've heard him say it plenty of times. You may owe him a life-debt, but that doesn't mean you don't have a family back home that needs you."

**[But according to tradition…]**

"I don't care about the tradition of a life-debt Chewie. Yes, we need to find him, and yes this is all probably my fault, but don't blame yourself. There was nothing you could have done. There was nothing I could have done either."

**[Well for starters you…]**

"Fine fine, so maybe there was something I could have done. But you get the idea."

The wookiee sighed, **[I suppose.]**

"Now, what is there to do on this ship other than sit and stare at nothing?"

**[Lando, you owned this ship…you know just as well as I do what there is to do.]**

"Very funny" he responded sarcastically. "You up for holo-chess?"

**[Why not? At least it will get my mind off of this mission.]**

* * *

Several rounds of chess later, Chewie leaned back against his seat on the bench.

"I just don't get it…how did you…it's impossible…you couldn't have…"

**[Don't be a sore loser]** the wookiee added with a laugh. **[Especially when you know that you shouldn't beat a wookiee at holo-chess.]**

"Doesn't mean I let you win!" he argued. "You may have…"

**[There's the proximity alarm. We must be coming up on Sullust.]**

"Don't drop the subject Chew!"

**[Already did]** Chewie laughed.

"You really think we're gonna have any chance of finding him here?" Lando asked as he followed Chewie towards the cockpit.

**[How should I know? You're the one who swore we should go here and that the plans are solid!]** he retorted, not bothering to stop walking.

"Yeah, yeah. Let's just get this girl out of hyperspace."

Chewie and Lando were soon in their respective seats, although Chewie wasn't fond of Lando's location in Han's chair. He knew it was necessary, but he still didn't like it. But none the less they pulled easily out of hyperspace, and the wookiee pondered just how much Solo would love to ease out like that.

"Please send clearance code" came a voice over the comm.

Lando gave a look to Chewie before sending their code. "Transmitting now."

The two waited patiently in open space for the code to clear, and soon enough a response came through. "Regina Galas, you are clear to land. Please proceed to docking bay 38."

"Thank you" Lando responded.

**[Regina Galas? You used that name?]**

"Well I figured sending the code for the Falcon wouldn't be the brightest idea!" Lando argued.

**[Of course not, but you still could have used a different name. Last time we used that name we almost got arrested!]**

"Doesn't that happen pretty much everytime you land, no matter what code you use?"

Chewie growled and then turned away to prepare for landing. **[Just be glad we called ourselves the Millennium Falcon when coming in on Bespin.]**

Once safely touched down on Sullust, the duo decided it would be best if they acted as if they were stopping on the planet just as anyone else. If they happened to see Fett's ship, they would act, but aside from that they would do no more than ask around. There was no use in putting themselves in danger so early on in the search.

"I know a few people who might have some inside clues as to Fett. The type that normally hangs around the cantina, so it shouldn't be hard to find them."

**[Great. The cantina type. Certainly trustworthy I assume]** Chewie added sarcastically as he grabbed his bag and prepared to leave the ship.

"Well do you have any other ideas? Look Chewie, there are bounty hunters all over this galaxy, and now we're both wanted men. It'd be better to trust the people we know than to trust someone we don't."

**[We trusted you…and look how that ended up.]**

Lando was silent, but accepted the stab. "Point taken, but still. I don't have any other grand ideas that don't end in us getting captured by the blasted Empire."

**[And that's the last thing we want. If Leia found out we were captured…]**

"She'd come after us right away" Lando ended. "We can't have that happening, or else Han will kill us."

**[I'm starting to get the idea we're dead no matter how we do this.]**

"Well there is one way we won't die…"

**[Yeah, and how's that?]**

"We find Han."

* * *

After a few days of unsuccessful talk and conversation, Chewie and Lando sat down heavily in a booth in the nearest cantina to the spaceport. They had split up for a large majority of the past three days, and had talked to everyone who seemed trustworthy, but found absolutely nothing on Fett, Han or their whereabouts.

**[We'd better leave this place soon or else someone's gonna get suspicious.]**

"Tell me about it. I've got one more lead, otherwise we can blast our way out of here, ok?'

**[Why do I have the bad feeling this "lead" has to do with a woman?]**

"Because you know me better than I'd like you to" Lando admitted, suddenly distracted by a woman approaching. She was young with black hair that fell in curls over her shoulders. Her eyes were a bright green and she wore modest make-up and clothing.

"Why it's sure nice to see you again" Lando said, his charm suddenly present."

"Lando. Who would have thought I'd ever see you again," she replied, stopping just short of him. "What brings you to Sullust?"

"Searching for a friend of mine" he replied simply. "Have you ever had the pleasure of meeting my friend Chewbacca?"

"Can't say I have, but I've heard the name. Aren't you the co-pilot of the Millennium Falcon, famed ship of Han Solo?" The woman pushed past Lando and sat across from the wookiee.

**[Yes, that's me. And you are?]**

"Mila" she answered quickly, and Chewie was surprised she spoke shyriiwook, but she responded to his unsaid question as well. "I'm sure you're wondering why I can speak shyriiwook too, and the answer to that is my father. He owns this cantina, but he used to have a position in politics. He wanted me to speak many languages, and shyriiwook was one of the first I learned."

**[Well I'm pleased to meet you Mila] **Chewie answered as Lando slipped in next to her.

"Now what can I help you with?" she asked.

"Like I said, we're searching for a friend, and we need information on a bounty hunter."

"Bounty hunter? There's plenty that come through here, but I can't guarantee I know much. Who are you looking for anyway?"

**[We'd rather keep it quiet who we're looking for, if you don't mind.]**

"Yes, of course. I understand."

"We're looking for the bounty hunter named Boba Fett" Lando said, taking a gulp of the ale they had ordered previously.

"Fett, huh? Well that's a bounty hunter I know. He came through last week sometime, but that's all I know."

**[What was he doing here?]**

"He just stopped in. I think he talked to my father, but I was working so I didn't hear or see much."

"Boba Fett doesn't just stop in. Is there any way we could talk to your father?"

Mila gave Lando a suspicious look, "You really think my dad is going to talk to you calmly, after what you pulled?"

Chewie laughed, and Lando tried not to look embarrassed, "Well, I've changed ok?"

"Doesn't mean he's going to think so" she answered, now laughing along with the wookiee.

"Well it's important that we find Fett" Lando continued, trying to keep his wits. "So if we could talk to your dad that'd be great."

"Alright, alright. I'll go talk to him, but I think it'd be better if you had Chewbacca do the talking."

**[You're father can speak shyriiwook?]**

"Of course!" she answered, standing. "I'll be right back."

[**What did you do that made her father so angry?]** Chewie asked as Lando watched her head into the back.

"He caught her sneaking out with me, and back in those days I wasn't the most respectable guy. Accused me of stealing her virtue."

**[Are you inferring you're a respectable guy now?]** Chewie asked before laughing again. Lando just gave him a look.

A few minutes later Mila returned, "my father says that you guys can come back, but like I said, Chewbacca should go first and do the talking."

"Did you tell him who we were?"

Mila laughed, "Of course not, unless you thought I wanted you dead."

Lando gave a casual smile, "Always the charmer, you are."

The pair followed Mila though the cantina to a back office. Chewie went first, following Mila, leaving Lando to bring up the rear and close the door.

Mila obviously took after her father, with his black hair and green eyes. He sat behind a desk, but stood when they entered, moving right away to shake hands with Chewie. "Good to meet you. I'm Silas Moonrunner."

**[Chewbacca, and this is my friend Lando Calrissian.] **

Silas' warm smile melted off his face, "I thought I told you to get lost years ago."

"You did sir, but I would like to let you know that I am not here for any reason to do with your daughter. I'm searching for a friend and need information."

"And what makes you think I'll give it to you?"

"Please father, hear them out" Mila added in, standing in between Lando and her father.

He gave Lando a look, but retreated to his desk, motioning for them to sit. "How can I help you then?"

**[As Lando said, we're looking for a friend who was captured by Boba Fett a few weeks ago.]**

"You're looking for Solo, aren't you?"

"What?" Lando answered quickly, at the same time as Chewie replied **[Yes] **and Mila chirped in with "Solo?"

Chewie gave a look to the others before continuing, [We are looking for Solo.]

"I figured. There aren't many wookiees of your status out there, and considering Fett mentioned that you'd probably be coming along…"

"Father, please don't…" Mila interrupted, worried.

He responded with a laugh. "Don't worry. Fett isn't the type I like to do business with."

**[Then why did you meet with him?]**

"He needed supplies, said he was making a trip. Plus, you don't argue with a bounty hunter."

"You've got that right" Lando retorted, but hushed up after another stern glance from Silas.

**[Did he say where he was going?]**

"No" Silas replied, "just said that he needed supplies and that there would be people after him with a wookiee. I thought it was an odd thing to say."

**[And he left a few days ago?]**

"As far as I know, yes. But bounty hunters are tricky. I'd be careful heading out if I were you."

**[Thanks for the advice. Do you know anyone who might have more information?]**

"Yes. I have a friend that works at the space port, running the tower. He might have some idea. Are you heading out tonight?"

**[We were planning on it.]**

"I'll send Mila with you. She'll know who to ask" he said, scribbling a note on a piece of paper. He handed it to Mila, "give this to Stel." He turned back to Chewie and Lando, "I do wish you safe travels, and good luck with finding Solo."

**[Thank you for your help]** Chewie replied, standing and shaking hands with the man again. Lando did the same, although awkwardly, before they followed Mila out.

* * *

Soon the trio arrived at the space port, and Mila took them right away to the offices where she quickly found the man they were looking for. "Stel, I'd like you to meet Chewbacca and Lando Calrissian."

The man was tall, his hair ruffled. He was about the same age as Silas, but was dressed in a uniform. "Good to meet you" he replied, shaking hands with Lando.

"My father said to give you this" Mila said, handing him the note, which he opened and quickly read.

"Fett, huh? I don't think he's left yet. Came in on the Slave I under a code name, but I knew it was him right away. There's only one ship that looks like that."

"You're saying he's still here?"

"Yeah. He came in about a week and a half ago, but hasn't left, at least not that I know of."

"Could you check?" Mila asked after glancing at Chewie.

"Of course!" he laughed, turning to a computer and entering the data. He scanned the screen, "Nope, he's still here. Docking bay 72."

Chewie looked at Lando, but suddenly an alarm rang through the room.

"What's going on?" Mila asked quickly, obviously frightened.

Stel jumped up and headed over to the large window, "Attack. Looks like that bounty hunter you're after is causing a bit of a scene."

**[He knows we're here] **Chewie said solemnly, **[We've got to go.]**

They were about to hurry out the door when Mila called them back, "Wait, where are you going?"

**[We have to leave!]**

"But what about me?" she asked quickly, her eyes still wide with fear. It was obvious to Chewie that the young girl had never witnessed a battle before, and since Stel had already run to join the security force, he had no choice but to take her with them.

"You're not thinking what I think you're thinking, are you?" Lando asked.

Chewie motioned to Mila to follow them. **[Come on, and hurry!]**

She ran after them out the door and towards the docking bay where they had left the Falcon, and they were relieved when the fight had moved away from the ship. Chewie hurried to enter the code to unlock the ramp, but as it moved down the gunfire came closer.

Shots hit the hull of the Falcon, and Mila screamed. Lando grabbed her and ran into the ship with Chewie close behind.

* * *

**And there's the end of the first chapter focusing on Lando and Cheiwe. I wasn't originally going to add Mila in as a character, but I thought she could certainly bring a different side to the story. You'll see more of her as we continue. =)**

**This weekend marks the end of "busy season" for me, so I'm hoping for more regular updates. We had a day off of school today, and I'm going to spend a large portion of tonight doing more writing, so hopefully it won't be so long before I get another chapter done. We'll be heading back to Luke and Leia now, but I haven't really decided what's all going to go on there yet…so it shall be a surprise for all of us! **

**I also want to mention that I made some changes to my blog. I know many of you couldn't post comments before, but that should be fixed now! I'll try and update over there more, and I'm working on the design, so we'll see how that turns out. There's a web address on my profile if you need it!**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love ideas for what you want to see with Lando, Chewie and now Mila in the future! I'm kind of at a loss on most of what I want to do with them! As always, feel free to review! =)**

**Thanks for reading!**


	7. Holograph

Holograph

The weeks passed quickly, almost too quickly for Leia's taste. It wasn't that she wanted time to linger as much as the more time that went by, it was just more time without Han. Sure, every day was one step closer to finding him, but at the same time it was longer he was in the carbonate. Longer he was stuck there. More nights without him, and more time spent worrying.

Leia hadn't talked with the medical team about the complications of the carbonate, but she knew it wasn't an ideal situation to be in. Each day could mean one step closer to death for him, and that wasn't a truth she was willing to face either. It was almost as if not knowing was better than knowing. If she waited until they found him to ask about his health, it meant less time to worry and more time to focus. Once the time for that mission came, it would be easy to throw herself into the planning, unlike now, when she was a sitting bantha. There was absolutely nothing she could do, and that was killing her.

But more than anything, and aside from Han, she was concerned about Chewie and Lando. There hadn't been any communication since they had left the Alliance almost a month previous. It worried her that something had happened, either they were dead or captured by the Empire, and at this point she wasn't sure what was worse. Then the idea that they abandoned crossed her mind, but there was no point to that either. Even if they did abandon the Alliance and find Han, he would come back. Han would force them to, because he loved her.

Yet that was something she had been debating for a while now too. Sure, when she had said she loved him he didn't disagree, but he didn't agree either. Chewie told her Han loved her, and she heard him say it himself near the start of the trip to Bespin, but that could have been fake too, since Han was in the middle of an argument at the time. But that didn't seem possible either. This was Han, the man who had been there for her every single time she grew upset. The man who shared his deepest and darkest secrets with her. The man who allowed her to sleep in his bed for many nights, nightmares and all, and when she finally woke up, his arms were around her, calming her by rubbing her back and whispering in her ear. This was Han, and to anyone else it was plain to see that he loved her, just not to the one he loved.

Still, he had never actually said it to her face. Instead he just said "I know" and left her. Well, 'left' wasn't exactly the correct word. 'Taken' maybe, but not 'left.' Either way, he made the decision to say "I know" instead of "I love you too" even when staring death in the eye. What in the galaxy was that supposed to mean anyway? She was sure it was obvious she loved him, even though she tried to hide it. Granted, her sudden change in both wardrobe and personality didn't leave anyone believing her cover up. They knew just as well as she did that Han was more than just a close friend.

In fact, some knew it a little too well. Bets had been ongoing since her return to the Alliance. Initially they were focused on what happened to Han, but now it was the key to figure out just how far their relationship had gone. Leia tried her best to ignore them, not that it really worked, but she couldn't stay curled up and hidden away in her quarters forever. No matter what, she still had a job to do.

Lately Leia had spent a large amount of time in inventory. New shipments of supplies came in regularly, and it was her job to make sure each portion of the Alliance had what it needed. Currently the rebels were still split in several smaller groups. Only when the time for a large scale attack came would they mass together as one. While it would be easy for the Empire to focus in on one portion at a time, whipping the Alliance out that way, it was also safer. At the moment they were nowhere near ready for a battle against the Empire, so splitting up meant safety for most members at one time. If the Empire attacked one group, the others stayed in safety. Plus, with smaller groups it was easy to move around, something the rebels did often. At this point in the war it was dangerous to stay in one spot at a time, so moving around a lot was ideal.

Of course, there were plenty of rations to count out, and for the first time, Leia found herself in charge of all the military shipments. She had always been in charge of inventory, but it had always been rations, medications, and plenty of weapons. Now there were huge shipments everything came, including ships they would use in battle, which each had to be logged correctly. She was constantly busy, although that was perfectly fine with her. The less time she had to herself, the less time she had to worry about Han. And if she worked herself enough, even sleep became easier.

While the idea of Han being gone had grown a bit easier with time, the nightmares did not. Each night brought a new chain of frightful dreams. Often times they still focused around Alderaan, and sometimes it was Bespin, but lately they began to center on Han after they found him. That he'd be dead or would die from complications of the carbonate. And each night she woke, her armed reached for the body that was not there. Working to exhaustion helped, but not all the time, especially since Han had given specific instructions for her not to work so hard.

But right now wasn't a great time to be thinking about any of that anyway. Rogue Squadron had previously announced plans for a party of sorts. They'd been planning it since Luke and Leia had returned, and while she had done her best to get out of it, Wedge heard nothing of it.

The party was being held in the hangar bay, and when she reached it she was silently thankful that the party was located on the furthest end from where the Falcon usually sat. Music was already playing and she spotted Luke, surrounded by some of the newest pilots. He threw her a quick smile and she returned it as she sat on a nearby crate. Moments later she found Wedge sitting next to her.

"Glad to see you decided to come" he said sarcastically, obviously hinting to the fact that he had forced her to.

"It's not like I had much of a choice, is it?" she returned, her voice short.

"I just thought it would be a nice distraction."

She turned to face him a little more, "And what makes you think a party is going to be a distraction?"

"Well," he started, leaning back and crossing his arms in the normal Corellian fashion. "I figured sitting in your quarters all the time wasn't working too well. And I know the reason you never came to parties is because we basically tied you and Han together."

Leia turned back away to look at Luke and the other pilots, although she knew it was obvious he had hit the nail on the head. "That may be true" she replied, deciding there was no point in countering him further, "but that still doesn't answer my question."

Wedge laughed, "you just wait here. I'll be right back." The pilot stood and moved toward Luke and the pilots. Leia watched as he pulled a few away and introduced himself. The young men were obviously excited to be talking with yet another hero of the Rebellion, so they didn't even notice as he started moving them back towards Leia. When they reached her, Leia had an expression on her face that she knew Han would only describe as her "Princess look."

"Boy's, I'd like you to meet my friend Leia" Wedge told them with a smile on his face. Each pilot was eager to introduce themselves to the former Princess turned Senator and Alliance hero. Leia, on the other hand, simply responded with a polite "hello" to each of them.

After a few minutes of small talk, however, Wedge asked if there was anyone else they wanted to meet.

"Well, I've always wanted to meet Han Solo" one quipped. Wedge opened his mouth as if to speak and then closed it, and Leia's small smile fell and she simply looked away. Obviously one of the pilots recognized the awkwardness because he added, "And I've always been looking forward to meeting Wes Janson."

"I'm sorry to tell you this fellas, but Jason died a few months back. You see, what happened is this. Janson and I, along with the rest of Rogue Squadron, were headed out on a mission. We knew it was gonna be dangerous, every mission is" Wedge commented. "Anyway, so we're headed to this planet called Yaronn, all fine and ready for this mission. When we get there, it was easy to land, almost too easy. Apparently some Imperials had set up camp on this planet, so we were wary from the start. We set up our supplies and stuff pretty easily, and then Janson and I headed out to start tracking down these Imperials. What we didn't know, however, is that they had already found us."

"What happened next?" asked one of the new rebels, and another agreed quickly, completely engrossed in the story.

"They started shooting at us, of course. We took a few of them out and made it back to everyone else, but the Empire was hot on our heels. We ran for our X-wings, and from in mine I could see my friends dying, shot down by blaster fire just before they could reach their ships. Janson tried to help as many as possible, and he attempted to pack up the supplies too. He would have made it, if it weren't for the beast."

"The beast?" one of them asked nervously.

"Yes, the beast. Scariest thing I've ever seen. It was huge, probably 6 meters tall, and it had these fangs that just stuck out of his mouth. He wasn't especially quick, but he caught Janson unaware, and although I tried to take it down with my guns, its skin was so tough the shots just bounced right off. Janson tried to fight it off, but once the beast grabbed him there was no escape. Next thing I know, the beast ripped Janson's head clean off, and that…that was the end of Wes Janson. He was a noble pilot and a great friend. I'm sure he would have loved to meet you."

Leia glanced over to Wedge to find him with an expression of sadness, and she found that her own expression matched, although the corners of her mouth turned up in a small smile.

The pilots, of course, were all shocked and began to apologize, but it didn't last long. A moment later a very smug Wes Janson walked up.

"Hey Wedge. Leia. These the new recruits?"

"You bet they are! Boys, meet Wes Janson." A look of shock came over each of their faces.

"I thought…he just said…how are you?" the young men stammered all at once, looking back and forth between Leia, Wedge and Wes.

Leia found herself laughing with Wedge as the three pilots walked away quickly, obviously embarrassed for falling into the trap. Leia found herself feeling sorry for the young rebels, as she knew how it felt to be in their position, but she couldn't bring herself to bring a stop to Wedge's story, even after she had figured out what he was doing.

"What's going on?" Luke asked as he joined them.

"Just trying to cheer Leia up," Wedge answered. Leia knew she really shouldn't be laughing, but he was right, the joke had cheered her up. Apparently she had been spending too much time around Corellians.

* * *

The remainder of the party was uneventful. Leia found herself easily mingling with the other rebels, but there wasn't a lack of awkward moments. Lately she spent most of her time with High Command, planning for upcoming attacks, and with Luke and Wedge, who were continuously trying to get her to eat and laugh and do anything other than work. So naturally, many members of the Alliance were curious about what had happened while she was missing, where Han had disappeared to, and what had happened between them. Luke had saved her from questions several times, but she couldn't ignore them altogether.

When the party had reached an end, she quietly said goodbye to Wedge, who attempted once more to make her laugh, before heading back to her quarters. She knew another night of fitful sleep awaited her, so instead she pulled out the box Chewie had brought her weeks ago.

It had taken her a while to first look through it, but now it seemed to be almost a nightly ritual to go through the items Chewie had pulled from the Falcon. Some of the items had been removed and were scattered across her quarters. His childhood journal, as well as her datapad, sat on the nightstand next to her bed, and one of Han's jackets was thrown haphazardly over the chair in the corner of the room.

First, just as every other night, Leia pulled out the starbox and set it on a nearby table. She opened it and the room was filled with stars. She spent a few moments looking through the stars, trying to find Alderaan, and eventually she found it, its light burning just as bright as any of the others, as if nothing had ever happened. Sometimes she debated enlarging it as Han had done back on the Falcon, but for some reason she could never do it.

Sighing, she turned back to the box, and pulled out some books and several of the holofilms they had watched._ Vici of Alderaan, Passion Taboo_, even Chewie's favorite, _A Hike on Kashyyyk_.

There were various holographs Han had kept of them, and she glanced at the picture sitting on her dresser, the one she had of her makeshift family. It was similar to one Han had kept, but hers had everyone in it. Glancing through the photos she came across those of Han and Chewie since they had been with the Alliance, some of him and Luke together, and other various members of the Rebellion.

There were a few of the three of them together, her Han and Luke, but it was just one picture that always caught her eye. It was from a while back, before Hoth. Probably closer to Yavin actually. The reason it caught her eye, however, was because it was a picture of just the two of them. Han stood, towering over her, with his arm wrapped around her shoulder. They were both smiling, and Leia remembered that right after the holo had been taken, they had looked at each ther as if standing that way was a common occurrence.

There weren't many pictures of her and Han, or at least, if there were, she had never seen them. Standing, she went and placed the holo on her nightstand, and she noticed how it seemed to belong there.

Leia sighed again as she moved back to the box and began to put the items away, not bothering to go through the remainder of them. As much comfort as it provided, it still didn't make up for the fact that Han was stuck somewhere in a block of carbonate. But as she placed the box away on the shelf, she realized going on like this wasn't going to be of any help. Leia had know it for a long time, but just couldn't bring herself to admit it.

So, Leia quickly changed back into her uniform, but instead of pulling on her usual jacket, she grabbed Han's off the chair. She knew it wouldn't fit properly, but she pulled it on anyway, pausing briefly to take in the slight scent of Han that still lingered, before leaving her quarters.

Minutes later Leia knocked on Luke's door. She had already commed Wedge and told him to meet her here, and she tried to ignore his smirk when he walked around the corner, directed at her jacket. He didn't say anything though, and soon Luke opened his door, a confused look on his face.

"Leia? Wedge? It's late. What are you…?" he asked, but he was cut off as Leia pushed past him into the room. He looked to Wedge.

"Don't ask me," he commented, shrugging. "But if you were to ask" he said with a smile, "I'd bet you this has something to do with Solo."

Luke returned a knowing glance as he let Wedge in, closing the door behind him.

* * *

**Greetings everyone! I am back from the (almost) dead!**

**For those that have been wondering or waiting, my laptop is finally...not fixed. But I do have a new laptop, and that means I can continue to write. I haven't transferred any files yet though, so we'll see how that goes sometime in the future. Either way, I'm writing again!**

**This isn't my favorite chapter by far, but the next one promises (LOL) to bring a journal entry from Leia (Something we haven't had in a while) and we'll soon get back to Lando, Chewie and Mila as well. I still don't really know where I'm going with this...well, I have some idea now, but I do know that this story won't be as long as 40 Days. It will most likely be quite a bit shorter. We'll see though. I'm looking right now at at least 20+ chapters, so it will be about half the length...but this isn't like 40 Days where I wanted to do a chapter for every single day. This is over a period of six months...so that would be a lot of boring chapters if I wrote one for every single day! **

**My other comment for the day is a question. I do suggest you all read my blog, which you can find a web address for on my profile, but I was wondering if any of you would be interested in reading one of my non-Han and Leia, non-Fanfiction short stories. It is, in part, inspired by Han and Leia anyway (and if you read it I'm sure you'll see the similarities). If you review you can just let me know there and if there's some interest I'll post it on my blog sometime this week. =)**

**And so, I'd like to thank you, as always, for reading, and for sticking with me! Please review if you feel so inclined, and thanks again!**


	8. Questions & Answers

Questons & Answers

_Journal of the Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan_

_24th Day, 6th Month, 3902nd Year_

_Things have been...interesting around here to say the least._

_One, for the first time since Bespin, I'm actually certain about what I'm doing. Luke is scheduled to meet Chewie and Lando on Tatooine in just over a week, and while it does worry me that they haven't had any contact since leaving over a month ago, I'm sure they're fine. Everything I've seen of those two has showcased the ability to survive in situations such as these. After Luke meets them on Tatooine, we'll let them in on the possible plan that we've been working on for a number of days now._

_The other night, when I was going through the box of stuff Chewie brought me from the Falcon, I realized that there is, indeed, one plan that would probably work quite well. There was an old holograph of Han with Jabba, and it just jumped out at me. We don't go to Han, we wait for him._

_In the case that Lando and Chewie haven't found Boba Fett, which they probably haven't or else they'd be back here already, there isn't much else to do. We could scour the entire galaxy and probably never have as much as a close call with that bounty hunter. But, eventually he's going to have to bring his prize to Jabba, and that's where we'll intercept him._

_How we're going to do this exactly I have no idea. It means spending a lot of time waiting on Tatooine, a planet none of us wish to spend any extended amount of time on, and we'll have to be quick too. Fett isn't going to wait around the planet long once he gets that close to his bounty. If he goes directly to Jabba, we could either miss him entirely and wait forever or he'd make it to Jabba before we intercept him. There's millions of things that could go wrong, but at the same time, it seems like our only course of action._

_But the biggest problem is this. Fett has been running around the galaxy trying to get us off his trail for this long, and every day Han spends in that carbonate, that's one day he's closer to death. How long is Fett going to have us chase him around before he finally goes to Jabba? I can't see it being all that long, but there's still the possibility it could be a very long time before any of us see Han Solo._

* * *

_Kreth_, Leia thought as she threw papers into stacks on her desk. She was supposed to meet Luke and Wedge for dinner ten minutes ago, but as always, Mon had kept her late.

Over the past week, Leia had changed dramatically. She threw herself into her work, put her best foot forward, and the only real change between her time on Hoth and now was her clothing. Despite Mothma's requests for her to return to her normal wardrobe, Leia refused, even making it a point to wear Han's jacket occasionally. And overall, there was a sense of happiness. Of real hope and determination, both to win the war and both to bring back Han.

Still, there were several members of High Command that saw her relationship with Solo as a pure waste of her time, legacy and status, and they never failed to remind her of it. It was just like this evening, how Mon decided that Leia should stay after to work through extra paperwork, even though said paperwork wasn't even hers to file.

Grabbing Han's jacket off her chair and the datapad from the Falcon, which now, in addition to her journal, included all the plans for Han's rescue. She carried it everywhere, just to be certain that it was always safe and that no curious eyes would be reading anything.

After popping her head into Rieekan's office to say goodnight, she headed towards the dining hall. It wasn't terribly far, and she was thankful as she continued, half walking, half running towards it. Growing closer, the scent of the regular rebellion food and the sound of rebels sitting down for the evening meal reached her, and she took it in, relaxing at the normality of it all. It was in moments like these that she allowed herself to forget that Han was gone, and would pretend, if only for a moment, that he was waiting to eat dinner with her, or that he would be sitting in her quarters when she returned. It wasn't much, but it kept her going.

Having reached the mess hall, she paused in the doorway and searched for the table she knew would already be holding Wedge and Luke. They weren't hard to find, having secured a smaller table just for them, which was one of the only tables with open seats.

"Are you sure this is the best time and place for a meeting?" Luke asked as she hurried over, setting her data pad on the table and pulling out a chair to sit down.

"Actually, yes. While it's crowded in here, it's loud too, and that means that the only people that could even possibility hear us are those closest, and thanks to you two, it appears we won't have too much of a problem with that."

Luke shook his head, "Whatever you say Leia. You're late" he pointed out.

"Mon decided I needed to file battle reports" she explained before he could even ask why.

"I thought those were, ah...what's his name's reports?" Wedge added before taking another bite of his food, his fork halfway to his mouth.

Leia laughed at Wedge's attempt to come up with the right member of high command "Ackbar? Yeah, it's technically his work. It's just another ploy to get me away from this meeting. She knows that we're planning something, and she knows it involves Han."

They both looked confused. "What's so bad about that?" Luke asked.

"She's still under the impression that Han is a, and I quote, 'good-for-nothing piece of filth,' and feels that I shouldn't waste so much time planning a rescue for him."

"Maybe not, but what does it matter to her?"

"It doesn't really. It's just that she took me under her wing and so on and so forth. We were really close, before the Death Star and everything. Now I've grown up, and she's not liking the fact that all of a sudden I don't have to listen to her advice like I used to."

"Well that's ridiculous" Wedge commented, finally eating the bite of food.

As Wedge continued to eat, Luke realized that Leia hadn't picked up any food on her way in. "Are you hungry?"

She glanced up at him quickly, "No, not really, why?"

Luke's expression darkened, "It's just you didn't pick anything up on your way in. And if I remember correctly you didn't have much for lunch."

"So? It doesn't mean I'm hungry" she countered, unlocking the datapad and avoiding his gaze.

"Well I'm going to get you some food and you're going to eat it whether you like it or not, Chewie's orders, which are technically Han's, so I'd listen if I were you."

Wedge perked up at the mention of Han. Luke was still the only one Leia had told about their relationship, and that meant that the entire remainder of Rogue Squadron, and much of the base, was looking for answers to win the bets that had been set since before Hoth. Granted, Wedge already knew that something was up, and he knew that Leia hadn't killed him, so a few credits had already been exchanged, but he still hadn't won the jackpot, and if he could just get her to open up a little, those credits might be his.

Leia groaned as Luke headed up to the counter to get some food, and Wedge set down his fork, leaning a little closer to Leia. "So, Han's orders, huh?"

She immediately looked up at him from her datapad. "I guess so. You see, he told Chewie to take care of me and to make sure I kept eating" she said nervously, but continued, growing calmer with each word. "He was always worried about how much I ate and if it was enough you know. Luke is too."

Wedge made a sour face and Leia looked back down at her datapad, feeling accomplished for avoiding the question. But he wasn't finished. If Wedge didn't get the information out of her, who would? Luke wasn't about to tell them anything, even though they knew that he knew. "I've been meaning to ask you, too, about the other night, when you commed me at two in the morning? You said in Luke's quarters that you got the idea from looking at an old holograph of Han and Jabba. Where'd you get that?"

"It was stuck in with my other belongings from on the Falcon. It must have fallen in, but either way, I had it when I was going through the box" she answered, her voice cool, this time not even glancing up at him as she did so.

Defeated once again, Wedge returned to his food, and moments later Luke returned with a tray of bread and some sort of stew. "This was all they had" he commented. "I asked for fresh fruit, like always..."

"And they just laughed?" Leia finished for him, knowing all too well of Luke's continuous joke with the kitchen staff. "And let me see, no blue milk either?"

"Not a single drop" he commented. "I just don't understand how an establishment such as this couldn't have blue milk!"

"We're not all from Tatooine" Wedge threw in with a laugh.

"Oh be quiet. Just because there's a large supply of Corellian Ale around here" Luke said, waving his hand at his friend.

Leia laughed, "I don't know about you two, but I certainly am fine with just water. No need for fancy milk or spiced ale."

Both men shot her a look, but she didn't see, as she had turned back down to her datapad, intent on getting some work done. "When we left off," she started, grabbing a piece of the bread, "we were discussing where we would stay on Tatooine, and since Wedge here is from Corellia and I've spent my life on Alderaan, I think this is your specialty Luke."

He appeared to be lost in thought for a moment, but quickly came up with a solution. "What about Ben Kenobi's place?"

"Who?" Wedge asked instinctively.

Luke gave him a look, "Obi-Wan, the Jedi that saved me, 3P0 and R2 on Tatooine and then fought Vader on the Death Star?" Although it hadn't been much, Leia noticed he stumbled a bit when he said Vader.

"Oh, that Ben Kenobi" he answered, going back to his food. Luke just rolled his eyes.

"How far away from Jabba's Palace is that?" she questioned quickly, bringing Luke back to the conversation at hand.

"A ways, but it's bearable. Plus, as long as Lando and Chewie are there we'll have the Falcon, and we could buy a landspeeder or two. And we'll have my X-Wing as well."

"We can't just keep the Falcon out in the open though" Wedge pointed out.

"That's the best part" Luke said, smiling. "Kenobi's house is secluded. As far as I know, he was in hiding for a good part of his life. Since the Clone Wars."

"The Clone Wars?" Leia questioned quickly, and a quick glance confirmed that Wedge was as shocked as she was. "What in the galaxy would make him hide for that long? I knew he was on Tatooine, since my father told me, but that's ridiculous."

"Can't say I disagree" Wedge threw in.

Luke raised his hands, "I have no idea why he was there, other than I have a feeling it has to do with the Empire. As far as I've found out, every last Jedi was killed at the end of the Clone Wars."

"Except for Kenobi?"

"That would make sense then," Leia continued. "That's why he would have to hide, blend in, disappear entirely. If the Empire was after him, he wouldn't have much other choice."

"Yeah. Luckily I was to his home a couple of times, so I know the location, and 3P0 has it saved in his memory as well."

Leia still didn't look convinced. "How big is it?"

Luke sighed, "That's the only downfall. It's not a huge place. It will be tight to stay there with us three, Chewie, Lando and the droids, along with anyone else that might need to come."

Wedge put his fork down, "I could stay back here. If you're not going to be here," he said, motioning to Luke, "We'll still need someone to lead the Rogues. Plus, if you do need help it would be easiest for me to convince for backup if I were here."

"I suppose that's a good idea, as long as you're ok with that" Leia agreed.

"Of course I'm fine with it. I'll still be doing everything I can to help rescue Han. I don't need to be there when he gets out. That seems to be your job" he said to Leia.

"Well of course, I have to be there when...well...I would like to be there to help with any medical issues he might have" she finished calmly, turning back to her data pad.

Wedge just made another sour face.

"Well it seems like a good idea to me" Luke added. "With Wedge back here we'll still have a connection to the Rebellion, and he can somewhat track our progress from here. Any assistance or backup would be easier to negotiate in person, and we can't waste time going back and forth. Not with this battle coming up, and with Han's life at risk."

"Then that's settled, and one less person we would have at Kenobi's, so that is another reason it would be an ideal place to stay. Do you think we'll all fit, along with the gear and anything we might need for Han?"

Luke answered quickly, "I think so. There's only one bedroom, which you can have, and then Han," he continued, pausing for a second because Wedge was looking at him, waiting for him to say something that would imply Han and Leia were together, "Han can stay there when we get him and you can move to the living area. There's a fair couch there, and just off to the side is a kitchen."

"What about Chewie and Lando?" Wedge asked, still obviously disappointed that Luke hadn't let anything slip.

"I assume Chewie will want to stay on the Falcon if at all possible, and Lando can stay with him there if need be. I'll stay in the house. The living area will do just fine."

"Han will want to stay in his own quarters when he gets out" Leia added in. "I know he will."

Wedge looked between the two of them, trying once again to find some meaning of Leia's relationship with the smuggler.

"But he'll listen to you. You know that just as well as I do."

Leia laughed, "Very good point. He'd better listen to me."

"Wait" Wedge interrupted. "Since when does Solo listen to you?"

Leia quickly looked at Luke and fell silent for a moment. "Well, he...ah. We just spent some time getting to know each other and he finally figured out that I know what I'm doing. Plus, I'll be the only one who will know about what he needs medical wise."

Wedge restrained his laugh. "Right" he managed to respond, although somewhat sarcastically.

"It's the truth Wedge" she returned, typing in the new additions to the plan to her datapad.

The Corellian leaned back in his chair, "Oh, of course it is. I mean, I just find it odd that all of a sudden Solo would listen to you when the last thing any of us remember is a huge arguement...one I believe included something about nerfherders."

Leia looked up at him, "That doesn't mean anything. So we fought, that doesn't mean we weren't friends who enjoyed spending time with one another. That's what friends do, right?"

"Generally yes," he responded. "But it just seems to me that you and Solo are a lot closer now, or at least it sounds like you're closer now, than what you were before you went missing."

"If you're implying something happened between us, nothing did, other than we worked out our differences."

"40 Days is a long time to be stuck on a spaceship alone together" he pointed out, still probing her for information.

"We weren't alone" she countered, looking directly at him. "Chewie was there, and 3P0 of course. So it wasn't like it was just me and Han."

"Maybe not, but there's still a lot that could have happened."

"Yes, could have happened...but that's the thing. Nothing did happen" Leia insisted.

Wedge sighed and sat straighter in his chair, giving a look to Luke, who had a small silly grin on his face. "You'll let it out eventually Leia. We all know that something happened with you and Solo, and we plan to find out what it is" he continued, standing and beginning to walk away with his tray of now-empty dishes.

"In you're dreams" she yelled at him as he grew further away. "Just remember that if something did happen, I obviously know how to deal with Corellians, and with rambunctious pilots, and if you want to be that, I think there's a list of chores just waiting for you."

* * *

**Happy Star Wars day everyone!**

**I was going to post this earlier today, but I had State Solo & Ensemble...and I'm just going to ignore that ever really happened today, so yeah. Anyway, here's the new chapter that celebrates this wonderful occasion that only comes once a year! **

**I'm pretty proud for getting two chapters out in a week...and I hope to continue doing that. Don't quote me on that since I have a lot coming up with finals, but hopefully it will continue to happen!**

**Hints for upcoming chapters: In the next chapter we'll catch up with Lando and Chewie...so I suggest going back and reading Sullust so you remember what happened with that since it's been a while (and I'll need to read it several times just to make sure I know what's going on!). We'll be heading to Tatooine, and we'll talk about the medical side of Han in the carbonate...and eventually it will all lead up to the ultimate face off! I won't tell you who's facing off though! That's a surprise, but feel free to guess!**

**As always, thanks for reading, and feel free to review! It always makes my day when you do! **

**Oh, and May the Fourth Be With You...Always!**


	9. Switches

Switches

**[Hold on!]** Chewie growled, running quickly to the cockpit. The ramp was up, finally, but the sound of shots hitting the hull continued to echo throughout the Falcon. Lando wasn't far behind Chewie, but paused momentarily to glance at Mila, who, now on the Falcon, seemed to be filled with the perfect mixture of shock and terror.

But he couldn't pause too long. Outside, Fett grew closer to the ship, intent on taking out as much of the Millennium Falcon as possible. Eventually he'd have to stop and run to his own ship though, as he wasn't the only one quickly approaching. Security was quick behind him, but he easily dodged their shots. He was a bounty hunter by both blood and heart, and wouldn't be taken down easily.

"Why is he shooting at us?" Mila asked quickly as she followed to the cockpit.

"Because" Lando answered, flipping switches as the ship started up, "he knows we're after Han, and he also knows it'd be a lot easier to kill us off and not worry about us anymore."

"Kill us off?" she squeaked as Lando lightly pushed her down into the nearest seat.

"Yeah, kill us off. Now get yourself strapped in" he continued, sitting in the captain's chair. Chewie had the guns running, attempting to hit Fett as he continued to shoot towards the ship, but he always managed to dodge.

**[Everyting ready?]** Chewie asked.

"Yeah, let's get out of here" Lando replied quickly, and moments later they were in the air, blasting towards the entrance. Over the comm, deck officers yelled for them to stop, that they didn't have clearance, but Lando turned it off.

"Why did you turn it off?" Mila asked, her eyes still wide.

"Doesn't matter if we don't have clearance, we have to get out of here!"

"But what if they follow us? Oh Gods, what will my father do? We have to go back!" she rambled on, obviously worried.

Chewie was flat with his reply, **[Too late now.]**

"Too late?" she asked, and Lando gave a small laugh, but cleared his throat and tried to hide it from her. "I can't just leave! You realize..."

**[Where'd you find her again?]** Chewie asked, completely ignoring the fact that she could understand him.

"Hey!" she replied, offended.

Lando looked at her, "Hey, he wants you to calm down. We'll do our best." Chewie just rolled his eyes.

"Oh, alright..." she said quietly, and then she attempted to sit back in her chair, holding her hands awkwardly in her lap. "Are you sure we'll be ok?" she asked again after a few moments.

Lando sighed and turned around again, "Look, Mila. I know you're scared and everything, and haven't really done this before, but could you please keep quiet? We're attempting to get away from a bounty hunter that wants nothing more than for us all to be dead."

Eyes still wide, now from a mixture of recent events and Lando's outburst, Mila kept quiet, and Lando was able to return to the task at hand. "How we doing Chewie?"

**[Alright, we're far enough out now that we should be able to jump, but...]** he paused, **[we'll lose Han...again.]**

"Leia won't be happy."

**[I know, but I don't see what other option we have. You set for the jump?]**

Lando sighed once more, "Yeah, everything should be ready" he replied, and a moment later, Chewie pulled back on the handle, and they were shot into hyperspace, now safe from the deck officers they were sure would attempt to track them down and from the bounty hunter than wanted their heads.

**[I'm gonna get some sleep]** Chewie said quickly, and Lando noticed the slight hint of disappointment and sadness in his growl. The wookiee got up from his seat and moved out of the cockpit, leaving Mila and Lando alone.

"Is it alright if I talk now? Mila asked coldly, and Lando turned to her again.

"Yeah. I suppose you have questions and concerns."

Cautiously, Mila got up and took Chewie's seat so they were across from one another. "Where exactly are we going?"

"That's a good question" Lando replied, laughing. "At the moment we're headed back towards the Alliance. I highly doubt you that you want to come with us to Tatooine, and quite honestly you shouldn't, so therefore, your best bet of getting home is with the Alliance."

"The Alliance as in the Rebel Alliance?"

"That's the one" he said with a slight chuckle, "although I'm not sure what other alliance there would be."

"My father will be pretty worried" she continued, looking down at her hands in her lap. Her dark hair fell from behind her shoulder and covered the side of her face. "He'll think I'm dead."

"You can contact him when we get back. And I hope you plan on fully explaining what happened here, just so I don't have to deal with another bounty."

Mila suddenly looked interested, "You have a bounty on you? Now? I thought you were respectful now!"

He smiled and looked out into the swirling blue, "Well, I am respectable. I'm helping find Han, and I've been planning on the joining the Alliance too. It's a good cause Mila."

"I'm sure" she said quietly. "I don't think my father knew that I know, but I think he was connected with the Alliance somehow, or rather that he is in contact with them."

"That's possible. They have agents all over the galaxy."

"Yeah, and there's always been this part of me that's wanted to join myself, although I'm not sure what help I'd be."

"What do you mean?" Lando asked, genuinely interested for once.

"Well," she started, "I've never been in space like this. This is the first time. I have no medical training, and I wouldn't be much of a help when it comes to cooking. I can't pilot a speeder properly, much less a ship, and I'm certainly no good with a blaster. And as you saw today," she laughed, "I've never really had any battle training or experience."

"There's gotta be something you can do" Lando countered, " and you know what? I think I know just the person to help you."

* * *

**[You've got to be kidding me.]**

"Well it makes sense, doesn't it?" Lando asked.

**[No. No it doesn't. They couldn't be more different! She'll go insane!]**

Lando had finished talking with Mila some time earlier and had sent her to the cabin to get some rest, and he was now sitting in the galley talking with the wookiee. "Look, Leia would be a great person to mentor Mila."

**[You don't know Leia]** Chewie argued.

"You don't know Mila!"

**[Considering she wouldn't shut up, froze during that battle and just told you she has no training of any kind, I still thing it's a bad idea.]**

"I never told you that she didn't have training!"

**[Wookiees have sensitive ears]** Chewie replied simply.** [Plus, Leia isn't exactly in a position to take someone like that under her wing. She's got enough going on as it is.]**

"What? Because of Han?"

**[That, among other things.]**

"Well Leia seems like a pretty strong person to me, and I think she could handle it."

**[Maybe we should just let Leia decide, and you can have the pleasure of calling the Alliance once we get there.]**

"Why do I have to do it?" Lando asked quickly as Chewie got up from the bench.

**[Because you're the one who got us into this mess!]** he finished before leaving with his caf.

"You know that's not fair!" Lando called after him. "You can't use that excuse forever!"

He heard one more woof from the wookiee, **[Oh yes I can!]**

* * *

An alarm sounded from the cockpit, and Chewie rushed to it, reaching the room before either Lando or Mila. She fell in soon after, asking quickly what was going on, but quieted down quickly when she realized that she wouldn't help much by asking constant questions. Lando came in moments later, giving Mila a quick glance before sitting in the front seat.

"What's going on Chew?"

**[Don't know. Why don't you tell me?]** he asked harshly.

Lando looked offended, "What do you mean by that?"

**[Well it's just the proximity alarms are going off a lot earlier than they should be, meaning you put in the wrong calculations.]**

"So where are we now?" Mila asked, piping into the argument before Lando could respond.

**[Good question.]**

"Well we'll just have to pull out of hyperspace to see then, won't we?" Lando continued, ignoring Mila after another quick glance.

Moments later they were pulling out, the blue fading to the still stars, but what they found in front of them wasn't exactly what they wanted.

"What's going on?" Mila asked again, clutching the arms of the seat as the ship flew back and forth through a series of ships.

"The Empire" Lando replied quickly, but his voice sounded final. His hands flew from switch to switch, and the ship circled, carefully avoiding the larger frigates, which were now beginning to fire at them.

**[Apparently it doesn't matter if it's you or Han piloting this ship...I still end up in this position against the Empire]** Chewie growled as he continued to fly them through the maze of Star Destroyers the best he could. **[They'll take us down if we don't get out of here quick.]**

"Can't argue there. Do what you can, and I'll try to recalculate the coordinates."

**[Don't send us to the Alliance. They'll follow. Make a jump to Naboo.]**

"Naboo? Mila asked, although her question went unnoticed once again. As Lando entered the calculations, ties were released from the belly of a nearby Star Destroyer, and flashes began to light the areas outside of the ship.

**[We've got trouble.]**

"I can't do it now. Mila, get in my seat and take the controls!"

"But I told you...I've never been in space before! How can I pilot a ship?"

"You just have to do it, not go!" Lando yelled, and she quickly moved to the front seat, her hands hovering over the controls nervously.

**[I'll take main control, but when I tell you, there's a green switch in front of you. See it?]**

"This one?" she asked, pointing to a small switch a few inches from the bottom of the console.

Chewie nodded and confirmed with a growl.

Outside, the ties had surrounded the ship, and another alarm began to blare, notifying them all that the shields were close to going down. One or two more hits to the back system and they'd be dead. Chewie gave another growl and Mila flipped the switch, setting the laser cannons into action. They sent a series of shots toward the advancing ties, taking two or three of them out in one pass. She flipped it back down, and the guns stopped sending shots.

Quickly, Mila figured out what she was really doing, and as Chewie brought them around for another pass, she flipped the switch at just the right time, sending two more tie fighters into flames.

"Almost ready" Lando said as he put the last numbers into the console. "Line up the jump Chew!"

He did, and while there still ties close behind, the Millennium Falcon and her passengers were soon safely in hyperspace, having once again avoided the Empire.

Chewie leaned back into his chair, and Lando fell into the nearest one, giving off a sigh of relief. Mila, meanwhile, was happily jumping up and down. "I did it! I helped us get out of there!"

"Congrats on flipping a switch" Lando answered sarcastically, and Mila gave him a look..

Chewie on the other hand, was a bit more congratulatory.** [Good job. Maybe the Alliance could use you after all.]** Mila smiled.

Suddenly Lando spoke again, "You know Chew. I'm sure glad Mila speaks Shyriiwook. I don't know how Han does the whole translating thing. It's hard enough to understand myself!"

**[Well Leia knows Shyriiwook, so he doesn't have to translate all the time.]**

"Who's Leia?" Mila asked, interrupting. "Wait...Leia as in Leia Organa, Princess of Alderaan?"

"Well that's the only Leia I know, so yeah."

"You know her? I thought she died with Alderaan! I didn't know she was still alive."

Chewie sounded happier. **[Oh she's alive, just back at the Alliance, although she really wanted to be out here with us.]**

"Why?" she continued. "Why would a Princess want to be out on a mission like this?"

Chewie laughed, as only a wookiee can, **[Leia isn't just a Princess.]**

"You said it Chewie" Lando included.

"What do you mean?"

**[Well Leia is currently helping to plan the rescue mission of Han. Actually, she's leading it. She's been a leader of the Alliance since long before Alderaan happened too.]**

"Let me guess. Han and Leia...they're together?"

"Never occurred to me either...that Han would ever settle down."

"It's just surprising. I don't know him personally, but it's just really interesting based on what I've heard about him."

**[Han isn't the person everyone says he is. He's pretty good about putting on a mask around people]** Chewie answered, remembering the secrets Han had kept even from him.

"Either way, that's why Leia's doing all of this?"

**[Yeah, it is.]**

Mila sighed, "Well, I may not know Leia, but I do know that I'll do whatever it takes for her to get Han back. I know what that feels like."

"Oh really?" Lando asked, his grin growing as he leaned towards her.

"Not you" she said, pushing him away. "No, there was this one guy, Jex, and I honestly loved him. But then the Empire came around, searching for people associated with the Alliance. When I didn't get a response on his comm for a few days, I went to his apartment, and he was on the floor, dead." They were silent for a moment, as neither Chewie or Lando knew what to say. But Mila continued, "That's when I kind of figured out my dad was involved in the Alliance, and that I wanted to join for myself if I ever had the chance."

**[So you're saying you want to come with us?]**

"If I could. I know I'm not much help and at the moment I'm just taking up space, but I want to learn. I feel like the galaxy is so big, and I just want to see as much of it as I can. Jex never got to and I just feel like now I need to see it for him."

"Joining the Alliance is a big deal. You can't really live a life of your own outside of it once you join. Han proved that point. "

"I know" she replied. "But I want to. I'll have to contact my father of course, to let him know I'm safe, but I want to help."

Chewie yawned,** [Well we'll see what we can do once we get back to the Alliance, but right now, I think we could all use some sleep. Naboo will be waiting for us in the morning.]**

The wookiee left the cockpit first, and Lando stood to go next. "You can take the bunk in the main cabin again." When she didn't move, he spoke again, "You coming?"

"Yeah," she sighed, "I'll be there in a minute. I just haven't seen anything like this before."

"And by the way" Lando said, "I'm sorry about Jex."

"You didn't even know him."

"You don't know Han or Leia, but you're still willing to help them because you care. It's the same thing."

"I suppose. I just wonder what he would have thought of all this. He never really left Sullust either, but just worked as an undercover agent on the planet."

"Well I'm sure he was a great guy. He moved towards her and placed a light kiss on the top of her head, an odd gesture for him. "Get some sleep. I'll see you in the morning."

"Yeah," she replied. Mila lingered for a few minutes longer before finally standing to follow and head to bed. But before she left completely, she looked one last time at the swirls of hyperspace outside the cockpit, hoping to find the answer to her question.

_Was she doing the right thing?_

* * *

**Well, there's the end of the next chapter! Any ideas on what "right thing" Mila is talking about? It could go more than one way!**

**I'm pretty proud of myself for getting a new chapter of something up every Saturday...although I might have to take a week off (either next Saturday or the one after or both). I graduate High School in a few weeks (although I really don't want to think about it), so I'm pretty busy finishing stuff up for finals and everything. I'm amazed I got this chapter done...last night. Either way, it's here, and I know somewhat where I'm going with it at the moment, so I'll just keep writing the best I can. **

**Along with this story, I posted a new chapter for Repairs last week, and there should be another one soon, but the next one will go back to the more actual repairs...like of a ship. I've kind of been alternating the two meanings. I've also got a short story in the works...so hopefully that appears at some point. **

**Hints for upcoming chapters: Well, next chapter we go back to Luke and Leia, sort of. There will be some...well, interesting stuff going on. Not really battles yet...but Naboo is definitely the start of an alternate storyline that goes along with this whole thing. Like a smaller story that works its way into the overarching storyline of rescuing Han (which really is smaller than the largest storyline of Han and Leia's relationship). Oh...and Wedge will be back. I know some of you are really enjoying him...I am too. =)**

**As always, thanks for reading, and please review if you have a moment! Also, if you find any errors, please let me know and I'll fix them as soon as possible! Thanks again!**


	10. Gambling

Gambling

_Journal of the Princess Leia Organa of Alderaan_

_30th Day, 6th Month, 3902nd Year_

_Luke leaves tomorrow._

_A part of me is excited for him to leave. It means we're one step closer to finding Han. It's been more than a month since Bespin, although it feels like it's been so much longer. I suppose it's good that time is going by quickly, but there isn't a moment that goes by that I don't think about Han these days. I can't imagine what staying in that carbonate for this long will do to him, and I'm honestly scared to find out._

_At the same time, Luke leaving means that I'm almost alone. I have Wedge, of course, and Rieekan, but other than that. There isn't anyone here for me. High Command is still...well, High Command...and I've always been so involved in everything that I didn't really have time for making friends until Han and Luke came along. And that was only because they rescued me and because Han basically forced me to spend time with them on his ship, something I now see as a luxury. What I would give to just have one night with everyone together._

_Obviously that can never happen. I'll just have to relish in the last dinner with Luke tonight. He's leaving early to head to Tatooine, where Lando and Chewie will hopefully be waiting for them. Wedge, Luke and I decided to have one last meeting before he heads out, just to make sure that we're all on the same page._

_And hopefully, if everything works out, Han will be back soon. I wish I could count down the days. Count until he's home with me. But that's just a wish. That will never happen either. We will never know exactly when this plan will be set in motion, or when I'll get him back._

_It's like we don't know anything. I suppose Han would refer to the entire thing as gambling, and honestly, he wouldn't be far off. The thing is, I don't see why he could ever enjoy such a thing. It's so nerve wrecking._

* * *

"You promise that if they're not there you're going to contact us right away" Leia asked Luke once again as he prepared his X-Wing for departure.

"Yes" he laughed, "I absolutely promise."

"I'd leave soon if I were you, Luke, or else she's gonna smother you to death," Wedge joked, and ir was followed by another laugh from Luke. Leia gave him a pointed look. "Don't look at me like that!" he countered, "you know it's true!"

She sighed and followed with a laugh, "I suppose you're right. But I'm just worried. Chewie promised..."

"He promised to contact us as soon as he could Leia" Luke interrupted, "maybe he just hasn't had a chance to yet. They might already have Han but have to stay undercover or something. They might be waiting for me."

"He's right" Wedge added, leaning up against Luke's ship.

"Alright, fine. Just be really careful ok?"

"I will."

"You have everything you need?" she asked again.

"Yes Leia" Luke laughed. "Everything is loaded, and everything is going to be ok. Now I have to get going."

"Ok" she said simply, and Wedge noted the expression of sadness on her face. It was one he hadn't seen in weeks. "It's just going to be different around here without you. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"I see how it is" Wedge added. "What am I? Chopped bantha?" They all laughed. "I've gotta get back to my post. Good luck Luke. May the force me with you."

"Thanks Wedge, and also with you" he replied. They shook hands and Wedge headed off down a corridor, stopping just long enough to send a final wave to his friend.

Luke turned back to Leia and pulled her into a hug. "I'll miss you, but remember to keep strong. Do what you know is right."

"I just hope I'll know what that right thing is."

"You will" he smiled. "And if you don't, just do what Han would do."

Leia gave him a skeptical look, "You really think that's a good idea?"

"You have a point. But I still stand by my statement. You'll be fine."

Leia sighed once more and then gave him a small kiss on his cheek. "For luck" she told him, echoing the words she said so long ago, back when they had first met.

"Thanks. I'll contact you as soon as I reach Tatooine."

Leia nodded and watched as he climbed the ladder of his X-Wing, only pausing to look at her one last time before getting in. The ship began its startup sequence and Leia stepped back to allow more room. Soon it lifted off the hanger floor, and she watched as Luke flew the ship away, his small shape eventually jumping to hyperspace and disappearing.

* * *

Leia Organa was no stranger to people evading her personal space. As a former princess and senator, there were always people trying to find her doing something inappropriate that would make good news. But it seemed that since Han Solo had been around, even her so - called friends began to nudge her into spilling secrets.

Of course, she didn't, but as she found out during the trip to Bespin, they had made bets anyway. Following her return to the Alliance, she had stumbled upon these bets without even trying. In fact, she had attempted to avoid them. It was too bad that they found her.

While Wedge would often take his turn at getting information out of her, lately others had begun to do the same, especially the female members of the Alliance, all curious about the smuggler was Han Solo. Apparently he hadn't told any of them anything he hadn't told Leia, but had in fact told them less. Granted, he trusted her as much as he trusted Chewie, so it made sense, but it was still an odd feeling.

After Luke's departure the day before, Leia had unfortunate meetings with several rebels, each with questions of their own.

"So what happened while you were gone?" was the most popular question, in which her response was always "Nothing."

But that wasn't the only question. She was met with a whole list of them, including questions about what it was like to run her fingers through Han's hair, if he was a good kisser, how good he was in bed, if he could cook, and so on and so forth. Each conversation always ended the same way though, "Do you love him?"

There was no doubt in Leia's mind that she loved him. And while there was a small part of her that still doubted it could ever happen, she supposed that Han loved her too. It only made sense. His response on Bespin was a confusing one, but it was a response that Han would give her, partly because that's just how he worked and partly because it conveyed more than just the fact that he loved her.

Still, the questions were beginning to get out of hand, and Leia, for some odd reason, debated allowing 3P0 handle such questions. That was a terrible idea though since, because he was there on the Falcon just as much as she was, he would have witnessed the complete array of emotions and experiences she had shared with Han over the 40 days on the Millennium Falcon. Yet, it was an idea, especially since even Rieekan had begun to ask questions. Not the same type of questions as the female Alliance members, but questions nonetheless. And it just so happened that Leia suspected those were his motives as he entered her office.

"Good morning Leia."

"Rieekan" she greeted him, glancing up from her paperwork to give him a smile. He visited just about every morning, and she always enjoyed the visits, even though she often had to work through them.

He was carrying a small tray filled with food, "I was instructed by Commander Skywalker to be sure you at least eat breakfast everyday."

"Carlist, you don't need to..." she started.

"Oh yes I do" the general interrupted. "I'm not about to have an angry Jedi on my hands, and certainly not an angry smuggler as well, since I'm sure this order originally came from one."

Leia changed her gaze to one of suspicion, "you don't know that."

"Well maybe if you would tell me something."

"There's nothing to tell Carlist! Han and I are simply good friends."

"You were gone for over a month Leia, stuck on his ship. Now, when you two left there was plenty of tension, and considering neither of you are dead, you know just as well as I do that you couldn't have lasted that long without something happening."

"What are you inferring?"

"I wasn't inferring anything other than you and Han are more than _just friends_."

Leia laughed, "that seems to be what everyone is saying, but I can't say it enough. Nothing happened."

He sat down and watched as she picked up a granola bar that was on the plate he had brought. "And I know you better than that. Something happened."

"Like what" she said, glaring at him.

He smiled, "For starters, I'm assuming that you didn't sleep together, since you pointed out so many times to everyone else that your change of clothing was just you growing tired of white, and I believe that. I don't think I could wear white forever. It gets so dirty all the time."

"You're telling me" she laughed.

"But that doesn't mean that I'm _right_."

Leia gave him a shocked glance. "You know Carlist, a part of me is so glad you're not my father, but you're still like one and this conversation is beginning to grow awkward."

The general laughed again, "I know, but isn't that what father figures are supposed to do? Make things awkward?"

"Let's just get back to your original point" Leia commented after shaking her head. "I'd rather hear what other reasons you have to believe that something is going on between us, even though nothing is."

"Well of course nothing is at this moment. He's frozen in carbonite, but Chewie did mention something..."

She put her hands on the desk and leaned over it, "What did he say?"

"Nothing. Your reaction is enough for me. You love him."

"You've got to be kidding" she said, taking a seat once again.

"I am not kidding. Listen Leia, I know what being in love looks like. You have this ambition to do whatever it takes to get that person back, and that's what you've been doing over the past how many weeks. No matter how long he's been gone, you don't give up. In fact, your resolve is stronger than ever."

Leia looked to the floor, her eyes searching for nothing along the surface other than for answers that did not exist.

"And I want to help you, but you need to let me in on whatever it is that's going on. Luke's gone now, and I'm sure that Antilles won't be telling me anything anytime soon, unless you let it out to the entire Alliance."

"You've got that right. Everyone else around here will have no clue about what's going on, because I intend to tell them absolutely nothing."

Rieekan crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair with an accomplished look, "So there's something to tell then?"

Leia sighed. She knew this time would come, but Rieekan was her most trusted friend, and while they had just joked about it moments before, he was like a father figure to her, especially since Alderaan. It didn't make any sense not to tell him what was going on. "You're right Carlist. I love him."

"And you still want to go after him, right?"

"Yeah," she whispered while nodding. "I want to go after him like he would come after me. It's what he did on Hoth and Ord Mandell and all those other planets. He came back, and now I have to do the same thing for him."

"Well if there's anything, anything at all, that I or the Alliance can do to help him, then I'll do my best to make it happen. Solo has always been a valuable pilot, but now that I know your feelings for sure, it only tells me that we have to go after him."

"Thanks" she said, eating another bite of the granola bar.

"You're going to finish all of that, correct?" he asked, standing up. "_All_ of that food on that plate."

Leia laughed, "It's the smuggler's order, isn't it? I don't have much of a choice."

"No, you don't. Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to attend a meeting with some pilots. I assume nothing we discussed here will be discussed elsewhere?"

"I won't if you won't" she answered.

Carlist smiled, "Well, then I best be leaving. Thank you for telling me Leia" he concluded before heading towards the door.

"You know Carlist," she continued, stopping him from exiting the room, "you're a lot better at getting information out of me than Wedge is."

"Oh I know."

* * *

Wedge Antilles was having a fine time with the rest of Rogue Squadron. As they often did, and when he wasn't busy meeting with a certain Princess about the rescue of one of his best friends, they would meet up to play Sabacc and drain a portion of the alcohol supply the Alliance had. It was like a reward for all of the training and work they did the rest of the week.

Generally their conversation covered most of the Alliance. Before Yavin it was about their lives, and how they each found themselves a member of the Rebels. Following Yavin, when Rogue Squadron was officially developed, they talked about Luke and his amazing shot to the Death Star that left the Empire without a victory. They welcomed new members and said goodbye to the friends they had lost, but the tradition of their gathering had never come to an end.

One of their favorite topics: Han and Leia. Ever since his mysterious appearance at Yavin, it became obvious that something was going on between the smuggler and the Princess. Never had there been so much sexual tension on the ship, or in the base, or wherever it was. The subject wasn't one of Luke's favorites, since it was easy to see that he liked Leia as well, but when Luke wasn't around, they'd continuously bet and wonder what was going on, often based on the arguments between them.

The subject had died down after they were missing for a week or so, back when they were expecting them to return to the Alliance in a timely matter. That first week was filled with ideas that they had gone off and eloped, that they ditched the Alliance and were never coming back. That somewhere in space they had killed one another, and Chewie, attempting to settle their differences, had been thrown out the airlock. No one gave any of the ideas any real thought, of course. Other than the eloping idea that is.

After that first week things had quieted down as the possibility of their actual death set in. But now that Leia had returned, the topic had come up again, and it was the subject of their current conversation.

"So what do you think? We know she didn't kill him."

"You've got that right Wes" Hobbie added, throwing a few credits into the Main Pot. "With everything that's been going on, I have an absolute problem believing that nothing happened between them, if you know what I mean." As he spoke the words, his eyebrows lifted in a hinting fashion that left no one wondering his meaning.

"I think we've got it," Wedge returned with a laugh, "but you are right. Something is going on, or was going on, and I intend to find out what it is."

"Well I don't know about you boys, but I'd like to play the game" Tycho said, shuffling his hand of cards while waiting for Wes to make his own bets. "Han and Leia can do what they like if you ask me."

Wes gave him a look, "Who are you and what did you do with Tycho?"

"Nothing! I'm just saying that it's their business and we really shouldn't be getting into it."

Hobbie laughed, "Is that why you made that huge bet that they would sleep together before the end of the year?"

"No, I..." he stopped short. "I mean, maybe, but it still doesn't..."

"Oh just shut up Tycho. You know you want to know about what happened just as much as we do."

The pilot shook his head, "Whatever you say, but I'd still like Wes," he said, punching his friend in the arm, "to make his bets so we can keep this game going."

Wes rolled his eyes and placed his own bet. Cards were exchanged as the game went on. There was bluff after bluff, although Wedge was always the best, being from Corellia, he was a natural born Sabacc player, or a natural born cheater at it, depending on how you looked at it.

"I'll call the hand" Hobbie finally said, his face blank other than the very corners of his mouth turned up in a smile.

There were multiple reactions, some good, some bad, and some absolutely nothing. The last round went around and Hobbie threw his cards down. "Look there boys! An absolute negative twenty three!"

Tycho put down his cards next, "I've got nothing fellas."

"Well Tycho, you don't have to worry about that, because I've got Hobbie over there beat" Wes added, putting his own cards down. "A solid _positive_ twenty three."

Hobbie grumbled something about positive and negative cards, but it was only when Wedge put his cards down that he stopped. "Sorry Wes, but even I have you beat. Idiots Array."

Wes' mouth dropped open and Tycho began to laugh. "That's what you getting for taking so long to start the game!"

"Hey, that had nothing to do with it!"

"Sure it didn't Wes" Wedge continued, "Just admit it, I'm better at Sabacc."

"I will never in a million...Wedge look" he said, pointing towards the hall. "You see who I see?"

"Yeah, that annoying droid. Honestly, I don't understand how Leia..."

"No. I see an annoying droid who just happened to be on the Millennium Falcon all the way to Cloud City."

Wedge stopped talking and slowly turned to his friend. "You know Wes, I believe you're right. Stay here."

He jumped up and ran to the door, reaching it just to see C-3P0 turn the next corner. He followed, and it didn't take long to stop him.

"Hey 3P0. I was wondering if you could answer some questions for us."

The droid turned, "Well of course Commander Antilles. It is the least I can do after your promotion."

"Not much of a promotion. It's only nice when you earn it, not when your friend leaves and you get it by default."

"Well I would be happy to answer any questions you have."

Wedge threw an arm around the droid's shoulders. "Well that's good, because we have lots of questions."

* * *

**Hmmm...3P0 returns. **

**I just want to comment that Sabacc is the most confusing game to learn ever, especially when there's no one around who can show you to play it. You just have to read and try to figure it out. But I remembered that the last time I had characters play sabacc a few of you wanted to see more of the actual game, so I attempted to do it here. It's really strange, and I hope I got it right, but if you want to learn more there are a few sites out there that can explain it pretty well. **

**I hope to have another chapter out this week or next week, but I am gone quite a bit. Either way, there will for sure be one week that there won't be a new chapter because I'll be at camp for a week. And then I have a week with one, and then another week that it's kind of up in the air since I'll be going on vacation to Florida again. Either way, things are progressing! =)**

**Hints for upcoming chapters: Well, that whole 3P0 thing...and there shall be some action in the storyline very soon as well. We'll go back to Chewie, Lando and Mila as they get to Naboo, and soon everything might fit back together. Well, sort of. **

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because I do happen to like this one. I wasn't originally going to put Leia's confession to Rieekan so early, but then I realized that we're almost to a third done with the six months. That's kind of crazy. Plus, it will make for interesting stuff in the near future hopefully. If you could, if you noticed any errors while reading, please let me know so I can fix them. I do reread about 2-5 times before I upload, but I still go back to earlier chapters and find errors. I don't have Beta, so that's probably why, but still. **

**And if you feel inclined, please review, it really makes my day! Thanks for reading!**


	11. Into the Fire

**Alright, we're trying out something new here, with comments at the beginning. That means no new hints for upcoming chapters because, well, you have to read this chapter first! Otherwise I might give something away! But what I can tell you is that Lando, Chewie and Mila will be coming back VERY soon!**

**I just got home from my weeklong vacation to Disney World, and surprisingly enough, I was able to write this chapter in a couple of hours. So here we have a new one. I'm hoping to get a few more done and do the regular Saturday releases again soon. =)**

**So, please enjoy this next chapter of Promises, and remember to review! It always makes my day!**

* * *

Into the Fire

As Leia exited her quarters, she knew instantly something was off. A walk down the hall past a few members of the rebellion left them suddenly quiet as she passed, but their eyes followed her as she continued on. It was like she had traveled back to when Han was still here and they would get in a big fight, or those times when there was a rumor that they had...

That was it. Something had to have gotten out. No, that wasn't possible. Luke wouldn't say a word, and plus, he wasn't here. Rieekan knew, but she trusted him, and it wasn't like him to go around telling people about her personal life. Chewie and Lando both had an idea of what was going on, Chewie especially, but they hadn't been here for a long time. There wasn't anyone else who knew.

But as Leia continued walking, she began to pick up on some of the hushed whispers, and she soon was most certain they kept saying Han. Then again, maybe it was just her imagination.

In the mess hall, on the other hand, as soon as she sat down, a few of the other female alliance members quickly joined her, and all looked at her expectantly. They didn't say a word, just sat and stared.

"Can I help you?" Leia finally asked, irritated already.

"Well yes. Now that everyone knows, you can tell us all about it?"

"What's 'it?'" she asked, her irritation now heightened with worry and embarrassment.

The girls giggled, "About you and Han Solo silly!"

Leia almost choked on her food. "What did you just say?"

"You and Han Solo!" said another of the women. "The entire base is just dying to know the details!"

"I can assure you there are no 'details.'"

"We beg to differ! There's a rumor going around that you told him you love him!"

"Well now I beg to differ" Leia continued. "I do not, in any way, love that man."

The girls smiled, "you do, and you know it!"

Leia groaned, "where did this rumor start?"

"The Rogues of course! But we're certain it isn't a rumor! That droid of yours spilled all the beans!"

Leia's face turned red. 3P0. How could she have forgotten. The droid was there the entire time. He had seen everything, interrupted them time after time. In fact, the only time it hadn't been him interrupting was when they almost...

"See girls, look how red she is!" broke her thoughts.

"No, I can still assure you that..."

"You don't love Han Solo" one of them finished. "We know, we know, that's what you say everytime. But honestly Leia, anyone with eyes can see that's not the case."

"I..." she started, but was interrupted as a siren began to wail.

"All troops to their stations immediately. We are under attack" came the voice from the control room. The women at her table split, running to their places, and Leia hurried to the chambers of High Command. As she ran through the hallways, her mind was split between these new rumors and the fact that the Empire was outside the ship running their guns at them. And for a few moments, Leia couldn't decide which was more important.

She decided the attack would be the better of two to focus on. The doors to the chambers swished open, and there stood the majority of high command, all on the same ship. A few of the members had left since her return, but most had stayed all in one place, and that was very, very dangerous.

"Leia, thank goodness you're alright. We're..."

"Under attack, yes I know Mon. What's going on?"

Mon Mothma looked briefly annoyed that Leia had cut her off, but quickly gave her the rundown of the situation anyways. "It seems the Empire has tracked our location, and are here to demolish us before we can get any further with destroying their new weapon. They have us surrounded on all sides."

The news hit Leia like a brick wall. No one could leave, meaning that all of High Command was stuck here, and the entirety of the Alliance, now almost all in one location, was at risk of complete destruction. But this was no time to sit down and discuss the most logical situation. Leia was going to act with her instinct.

"Hey!" she called, attempting to gain the attention of the room, but to no avail. "Hey!" she yelled, this time louder, and soon the room went quiet, with present member of the command looking at her. "Everyone needs to split up so we aren't all in the same location. A few of us aren't here, and someone needs to try and contact them to let them know to stay away. Rieekan, can you do that?"

He nodded his head.

"Good, and make sure to do it in secret code so they won't intercept the message. Dodonna, are the troops ready?"

"Yes Princess, they are in the hangars about to take off now with their attack patterns..."

"Hold'm. I'll be in the control room as soon as I finish here. You go there now and wait for me. Don't let anyone leave."

"But Leia!" cried Mon.

"I know, it isn't my place, but I have an idea. Madine, you go there too, and send Wedge to talk to me right away. The rest of you, split up on the ship. Don't stand together. If this part of the ship gets blasted, we're all gone. If you need something from your quarters, get it right away, and don't spend too long there. Spread out all over, but don't leave. We don't want the Empire to know that high command is on this ship. Got it?"

The room was silent, but she was met with nodding heads.

"Good, now go!"

The members, mostly, looked at one another for a moment and then slowly made their way out of the room, other than Rieekan, who rushed to go contact the others. Mon stayed behind, stopping Leia before she left to meet in the control room. "Leia stop."

"What?" she asked a bit too harshly.

"What in the galaxy are you doing? You have no idea how to lead a group into battle like this!"

"What?" she asked again. "I led the battle on Hoth with Rieekan, and I've been at the head of more battles than you are remembering. Now I have an idea that could save our skins and you'd better listen to me or we're all going to end up pulverized."

Mon's eyes were wide, "Leia, how dare you talk to me like this!"

She shook her head, "Now isn't the time. Now get to where you need to be, because I am needed in the control room."

* * *

When Leia entered the room, Wedge was standing there decked in his flight gear, waiting for her. "Leia, I thought you'd never get here. If we don't get out there soon they're gonna ruin our shields!"

"I know, I know", she said, looking over the map that showcased where each fighter and enemy ship was located.

When she didn't respond further, Wedge pressed her, "So what are we going to do? What's this grand idea you have?"

"Well, when Han and I were being chased, we ended up flying right into an asteroid field."

Wedge laughed, "I don't know about you Leia, but I don't see any asteroid field around here, plus that's basically a death sentence for ships this large."

"I know Wedge, but that wasn't the point!" She sighed, "when we were being chased, he outmaneuvered them too."

He cocked an eyebrow, "what are you getting at?"

"Normally," she said, pointing to the map, "we fight them off and that's it, but we're surrounded, and outnumbered. There's no way that's going to happen. We have to get out of here."

"They'll track our position and our destination Leia, there's no way..."

"That's why we won't just jump to one place. Eventually we'll end up somewhere, but it takes time for them to track our jump, just enough time for us to make a second jump somewhere else."

He nodded, and Dodonna, who had walked up halfway through the conversation, looked as if he understood as well. "They won't be able to follow us from there and we'll go back into hiding."

"Exactly. But first we need to line up the jump, something we can't do when we're surrounded like this. We're gonna need to outmaneuver them."

"So what are you thinking?"

"You lead the Rogues right up to the Star Destroyers, destroy as many of those cannons as you can, but keep yourselves ready and don't get hit."

"Easy for you to say" he commented.

Leia smiled, "Wedge, I know your pilots, and I know you. If anyone can manage to knock out those guns it's you."

"Well, you do have that right. What about the others?"

"Everyone else will lead the Imperials away from the the ships, and we'll follow. But, we'll act as if we're going in for a direct attack and move at the last minute. That final move should put us in the perfect position for a jump to hyperspace."

Dodonna nodded again, "You do have a plan there Leia. I'll prepare the remaining fighters, Wedge, may the force be with you and the Rogues."

"And also with you General" he added before a final nod to Leia.

* * *

Leia Organa watched as her plan was brought through. After Wedge had left, the Rogues quickly started their attack on the Star Destroyers. Several of the guns on the front side of each ship had been knocked out quickly, enabling the larger Alliance ships to position themselves in what appeared to be a direct attack.

As far as she knew, the remaining members of High Command had split up around the ship, but she hadn't heard from anyone other than Rieekan, who had shown up to explain that he had been able to contact all but one of the missing members. The plan was now in action, and Home One started on it's path directly toward the nearest Star Destroyer.

Looking out the main viewport, Leia bit her tongue. This had to work. If it didn't it would leave the entire Alliance dead, but if it did work, then it would save them. There hadn't been many casualties so far, but one member of Rogue Squadron had fallen, and several other fighters had been blasted to pieces. Still, the shields were taking a heavy hit. and they wouldn't last much longer if the Alliance was unable to make the jump to nearby Geonosis. From there they would head towards Naboo, if everything worked out alright.

"We are approaching the turning point." The notice was sent out to all fighters, and according to the plan, much to the confusion of the Empire, all fighters suddenly came back to the ships. It would only be another few moments and they would make the jump to safety.

The Star Destroyers, many of which were somewhat crippled due to the efforts of Rogue Squadron, stopped for a moment before continuing to shoot at the oncoming Alliance ships. But they didn't have long. Suddenly, Home One, along with the other Rebel vessels, was turning just to the right of the Star Destroyers, and seconds later, the stars smeared across the sky as they jumped to Hyperspace.

The crowd in the control room cheered, all but Leia. As much as she wanted to celebrate, they weren't out of the danger yet. There was still another jump to make, and as soon as they came out of hyperspace, it would need to be recalculated and they would have to be on there way. The Empire wouldn't be far behind them.

Rieekan approached her with a smile, "You did it Leia! You took us all to safety. Where did you learn something like that?"

"Well, although we aren't in the clear yet" she pointed out, "I learned from Han."

She could swear that his smiled widened. "Well then I'm very glad to know Han Solo, and I'm glad you know him too."

Then it occurred to her. Now that the initial battle was over, all there really was to do was just wait, and waiting meant plenty of time for her to think about the other battle she was currently facing.

"What's wrong?" Rieekan asked, noting Leia's grim face.

"Nothing, nothing at all" she said, putting on a smile.

"I know you better than that. You were just in my office yesterday telling me..."

"Shhh" Leia hushed him, "That's exactly it. It seems that what I told you has been let out."

"I didn't..."

"I know you didn't" she added. "But I do know who did, and now I have to face it. Rieekan, as soon as Chewie, Lando and Luke get back, I'm going with them."

He grinned again, "I know others won't feel the same way I do, but I'm glad you've made the choice you have."

"That's good to know, but I still have the rest of the Alliance to deal with."

"Don't worry about them Leia, you just led us to safety against the Empire when the odds were entirely against us."

And for a brief moment, Leia smiled, "Never tell me the odds."

* * *

The jump to Naboo had gone fine, and now Leia was again stationed in the Control Room awaiting for their pull out of Hyperspace. No one knew what had been going on around Naboo at the moment, but thanks to Leia's knowledge of the planet, they had felt it would be a safe location to jump to. Thankfully, and for some odd reason, the Empire had largely strayed from Naboo during the entire war. Some said it was because Vader made an order to, but it was never confirmed.

While waiting for the second jump, Leia had attempted to track down the droid that may have ruined her life, but came up unsuccessful. He just wasn't anywhere. But something told her that 3P0 was sitting hiding somewhere, as he would usually do when making such a mistake. A part of her was angry that she wouldn't find and dismantle him, but at the same time, it was nice to not have his voice constantly present.

But as Home One pulled out of hyperspace and the stars realigned, Leia was met with a surprising sight. There was obviously a battle of some sorts going on above the surface of the planet, which was odd for a peaceful planet like Naboo. But as they slowly got closer, Leia gasped. She recognized some of the ships.

As she looked around her, everyone was staring at her, but she attempted to ignore the stares as she looked out the viewport. There, all alone against a line of the Empire's largest Star Destroyers, was the Millennium Falcon.

Dismantling the droid would just have to wait.


	12. Against All Odds

**I've been debating for some time now if I want to make Mila more of a main character or not, and I think I've made my decision...kind of. I'm still pretty unsure, but it really doesn't matter at this point, so I think I'm just going to keep writing and see where it takes me and all the characters!**

**I also made a slight change from the last chapter, which if you go back now, you'll see is fixed. I finished this chapter differently from what I originally intended...well, only a little bit. So the Millennium Falcon is no longer in combat with the Slave One. Instead they're just facing the Empire by itself. You'll see why in the upcoming chapters.**

**I hope you enjoy this chapter, and please remember to review! I do respond to all of them (pending I am able to access a computer and have time...but I do eventually!)**

* * *

Against all Odds

It was early when Lando pulled back on the handle of the Millennium Falcon that pulled them out of Hyperspace. The three of them were all, once again, sitting in the cockpit of the ship, and as the stars pulled back into their places, the beautiful planet of Naboo stretched out below them.

Mila, still sitting behind Lando, gazed at the planet with awe. It had to be the most beautiful thing she had ever seen. Her entire life had been in one place...the small cantina and planet that was mostly filled with scum and the likes of people like Lando. Granted, it had been a fine life enough, but this was completely different. She had never seen anything like this.

The planet of Naboo, from their current altitude, was a mix of colors and landscapes. The rise of the mountains were off to one side, and the lush green of much of the other land was scattered over the entire sphere. But the large majority of the planet was covered in sparkling blue-green water, with light reflecting off of it from the nearest star. Even from this distance she could see the simple curves of the land against the ocean, and how the cities, scattered few and far between, lived with the land, instead of on the land like so much of the planet she had grown up on.

"It's beautiful" she said accidentally out loud.

"You could say that again. Sure beats Sullust, huh?" Lando answered her, his own eyes seemingly glued to the view.

She sighed, "yeah."

**[If you two are finished daydreaming about Naboo, we should land and attempt to contact the Alliance. Plus, who knows if it's even safe around here.]**

"I thought Naboo was peaceful, and that the Empire hasn't set up camp here" she asked.

**[Well, no, not really, but if they have a reason to, the Empire will follow us.]**

"But, we made the..."

"Yes" Lando interrupted their conversation, "We did make a second jump, but that doesn't mean they can't follow us at all. It's just less likely. In the end, they will eventually find us."

"And we need to make it back to the Alliance before that happens, right?"

**[Exactly. Although I do hope that nothing has happened to them. If the Alliance had to move it will become quite difficult for us to find them again.]**

"So basically we're stuck here until further notice?" Mila asked, and Lando replied with a nod. "Do you think I could try and contact my father from here?"

**[Sounds fine to me, as long as you keep it short and you don't give out any details. The Empire could intercept the call.]**

"He's right Mila. You'd better call before we try and contact the Alliance."

"Ok" she said simply before the comm came alive and they began the landing process. A few minutes later they found themselves in a hangar in one of the larger cities of Naboo, Moenia. The city, known largely as an artist's retreat, fell under the view of the Empire almost altogether. The lack of weapons and calm atmosphere left little reason for the Emperor and Vader to be concerned.

Luckily, it also made for a prime location for Rebels on the planet.

As they stepped off the ship, Chewie locked up the hull tight, intent in making sure that the Millennium Falcon would be secure, not that he was worried. Moenia was a beautiful city, perfect for painters and musicians and authors, not quite the area for the scum he was used to.

Lando and Mila were already walking ahead of him, talking to themselves like the old friends they were. It occurred to him then that Mila's attire didn't match the local attire, while Lando looked like the usual spacer...or Han Solo. Due to a lack of clothing, Lando had taken to wearing the Captain's clothing, something that Chewie knew would bother Leia to the ends of the galaxy if she ever found out.

**[While we're here, we should get you both some clothing]** Chewie spoke his thoughts as he caught up to them.

"I can't ask you to..." Mila started.

"No, it's fine. Chewie's right. We're going to stand out quite a bit here with this clothing."

**[He's right, and plus, I know someone who might just be able to help.]**

* * *

The shop they entered a few minutes later was small and cozy. In fact, it was the picture perfect shop for people who didn't want to stand out. At first, the front counter was empty, but soon enough an old man exited from a back room, rubbing his hands together. "How can I help..." he started, running through his old routine without looking at his new customers, but when he looked up, the words stopped. "Chewbacca?"

**[I wondered if you would recognize me!]** the wookiee responded happily.

"Recognize you? How could anyone forget you?" he continued, stepping out from behind the counter and pulling Chewie into a hug while Lando and Mila looked on with confused faces.

**[Well, I have grown a bit older since the last time you saw me.]**

"A bit? Last time I saw you I was the tall one!"

The two friends continued to catch up, but Lando had enough. "Excuse me" he said after clearing his throat obnoxiously loud. Chewie and the man stopped and stared. "I'm glad you two want to catch up, but I'm Lando and this is..."

"Mila" she responded for him before he could say her name. She stepped forward and shook the man's hand.

Lando scowled, "Yeah, Mila."

"And I'm Loman McConnell. It's a pleasure to meet you" the man returned. "What brings you to Moenia, and more importantly, my shop?"

**[These two each need a new set of clothes or two.]**

Loman looked at them for a moment, "I think we can do that. I have just the pieces."

* * *

Sometime later, both Mila and Lando were dressed in new clothing more suitable to both the climate and culture. Meanwhile, Chewie said a silent thank you to the Gods that Lando was no longer wearing Han's clothes.

"I've never worn anything this elaborate, are you sure that we can afford this?" Mila asked as she twirled a bit in the shop.

"No worries" Loman answered her. "Everything's on me. Plus, something tells me you're not here for the art."

Lando sat down on one of the leather chairs, "You've got that right."

**[We've been searching for someone.]**

"I see. Would you mind me asking who?"

Chewie looked to Lando before responding. [His name is Han Solo. He was captured by the Empire and the Bounty Hunter Boba Fett.]

"Solo, huh? Can't say I've ever heard of him. But I guarantee you won't find any bounty hunters here."

"Why not?" Mila asked suddenly. She had stopped twirling and was facing the three of them, looking confused.

"Well Mila" Loman began, taking his own seat across from Lando, "Naboo is peaceful. I can't remember once in my life seeing a real bounty hunter. I mean, I suppose if you go into the lower districts you might find some, but not here in Moenia."

**[We're going to need to decide where we go from here, speaking of Moenia.]**

"We should get going." Lando stood and went to shake Loman's hand, "Thank you for the clothing. It certainly is a help."

"Don't mention it. Chewbacca here is an old friend" he said, patting the wookiee on the arm.

"And thank you for the dress. It really is beautiful" Mila piped in.

"Well it looks beautiful on you. Now, you had all better get going. It's about time I close up this shop."

After some final goodbyes, they were out on the street again. It was calm, and the sun was setting. "I can see why artists come here" Mila said, "It's absolutely stunning."

**[That's how most of Naboo is. It's one of the top vacation destinations in the galaxy. But don't let it fool you altogether. Some of the most important early battles of the Clone Wars took place here.]**

"I thought..."

"It's peaceful? Right" Lando interrupted again. "It is. But that doesn't mean that stuff like that doesn't happen at all. Look what happened to Ald..."

**[Don't say it]** Chewie growled.

Lando smiled and backed away. "That's alright, I get the picture. So what's our next move?" She asked, walking slowly down the sidewalk.

**[I suppose go back to the Falcon and attempt to contact the Alliance.]**

"Makes sense" Lando agreed, following slowly behind them.

"And what if we can't reach them?"

**[Then we try again tomorrow I suppose. We don't have much of another option right now. It's too dangerous for you to be out here.]**

"Well I did pretty well during that last battle, didn't I?"

"Mila, you flipped a switch" Lando commented, unimpressed. "Anyone could..."

**[I'd stop again if I were you]** Chewie added, noticing the angry look MIla was giving him.

"Right. But still, I don't want you out here."

"Here doesn't seem so bad!" she argued sarcastically.

**[Well sure not here. But what about out there]** the wookiee continued, pointing to the sky.** [There's tons of danger lurking out there.]**

"I thought Leia was going to help me?"

"Well maybe, if she wants to. For all we know, Leia might not even be with the Alliance. She could be halfway across the galaxy."

**[I hope not]** Chewie said, continuing to walk.

Lando scowled for a moment before stopping and turning to Mila. "Look, if Leia wants you to come along, then you can, but if it was up to me I'd have you safe with the Alliance."

"Since when do you care so much?" Mila asked, pulling away from him. "Last I checked, I may not know everything about this galaxy, but I'm capable of taking care of myself."

"Mila, wait..."

"No, I'm fine by myself. I can do this, and I'll prove it to you."

**[I wouldn't...]**

"No Chewie. You two go back to the Falcon, I'm going to go see if I can contact my father and let him know that I've joined the Rebel Alliance" she finished, turning on her heel and heading back up the street.

"Mila!" Lando called out after her, "You have no clue where you're going!"

"Do I need to?" she called back before disappearing over the hill, her black hair the last thing they saw.

**[Great. Now look at what you did.]**

"You're the one who didn't run after her!" Lando threw back at him.

**[Me? I'm supposed to follow her? You're the one that's supposed to follow her! Since when is it MY job?]**

"Chewie."

**[It shouldn't have to be my job. Do you think...]** he continued on, ignoring the man in front of him.

"Chewie, I think you should stop and look."

**[Whenever Leia was...wait, what?]**

"Turn around, and fast" he continued, pushing the wookiee to look the other direction. When he finally did, as normal, Chewie didn't like what he saw.

* * *

The nerve of that man. Who was he to say she couldn't take care of herself. Sure, maybe she hadn't ever been off of Sullust, but that wasn't exactly like Naboo. This was a peaceful planet, Sullust was not. Her entire childhood had been spent behind the bar of a Cantina filled with smugglers and scum, although she guessed that it wasn't nearly as bad as some of the places in the galaxy.

Still, it wasn't like she was a baby. So maybe she wasn't real great with a blaster, but she knew a little. And sure, she had frozen up during that battle the other day, but that was just because it took her by surprise. If something similar happened now...

Mila suddenly turned. Whatever had just sounded behind her sounded a lot like blaster fire. In fact, it sounded a lot like Chewie's bowcaster. As if the wookiee had heard his name in her thoughts, he suddenly appeared over the top of the hill she had just walked down. Lando was running next to him, his arms up in the air, telling her to move and run as well.

"Mila, go! Now!" Lando called and Chewie turned and prepared to shoot. Suddenly a line of stormtroopers appeared over the top after them, and a few fell as the wookiee shot at the line.

Suddenly aware of the situation, Mila began to run. Lando was close behind her now. "We've got to get out of here!" he yelled.

And then an idea hit her. "Lando, I've got it!"

"Got what?"

* * *

Mila's plan, surprisingly enough, worked perfectly. While running from the stormtroopers that had been quickly advancing, Mila suddenly led them down one side street to another until they arrived back at the hangar. Somewhere along the line they had lost the stormtroopers, at least for the moment. In the distance you could still hear the cold sound of their boots hitting the pavement, and the electronic voices consulting one another.

Rushing into through the back door, Chewie closed it with a thud behind them, and they hurried to the Falcon, which Lando quickly unlocked. Just as the ramp hit the ground, the sound of a knock on the door rushed through the hollow of the hangar.

**[Quick, get on]** Chewie rushed them, oddly similar to only a few days before when they had left Sullust. Only this time they weren't facing a Bounty Hunter and Security Guards. This time they were facing something much worse. Not that they hadn't outrun them before, but unfortunately the odds couldn't be on their side all the time, and Chewie knew he didn't want to be around when that day finally came.

The startup sequence for the Millennium Falcon took a few minutes, but they still escaped from the area long before the Stormtroopers had figured out how to get the door down. At least, Lando realized, Vader hadn't been with them. The last time Stormtroopers had actually managed to break down a door, which had been back on Bespin, Vader had been right behind them.

Then again, based on what he saw now, Vader was behind them.

**[It's a trap]** Chewie moaned as they approached the line of Star Destroyers waiting for them planetside. And unlike the last confrontation with the Empire, the crew of the Falcon did not have the element of surprise.

"What are we going to do? I never got to comm. my father! What if we die!" Mila shrieked.

"Not now Mila" Lando returned. "You just got us out of a sticky situation, maybe you can do it again. Any ideas?"

**[Lando...]**

"How am I supposed to know! The only reason I came up with an idea to get us off that planet was because I paid attention to the city when we left the hangar. That and I saw a map in the shop. You were right Lando, I can't take care of myself..."

"You are outnumbered" came the distinct voice of an Imperial Officer. "Surrender now and you will be spared your lives."

**[I don't think we can get out of this one]** Chewie said calmly with a sigh.

"You bet we can!" Lando returned quickly. "Mila, you sit here" he said, getting up from the pilots seat.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah I'm sure. Chewie, help her with the main guns. I'm going to the turrets. We may be outnumbered but if we can just fend them off for enough time..."

**[Lando. Stop. It isn't going to work.]**

"Chewie, you're telling me that we've been searching all this time for Han just to give up and be murdered by the Empire?"

"But they said..."

"I know what they said Mila, that they'd spare our lives. But I know now that the Empire never sticks to what it says. If they did then we wouldn't be here right now. Han would be safe and we wouldn't have to be searching for him. Leia wouldn't be sitting back with the Alliance freaking out, and you, Mila, would be safe and sound with your dad."

"Lando" she said, breaking the tension in the cockpit. "I know that's what you think would be safest, and I know I've only been with you two for a couple of days, but I know I wouldn't be happy sitting with my father on Sullust forever. I'm glad that I'm here. Ok, maybe not here" she laughed. "But this is the biggest adventure of my life!"

**[Sorry to break up the sweet moment]** Chewie interrupted, **[but we're gonna have company real soon if we don't do something. It isn't like the Alliance is just going to pop out of hyperspace and save us.]**

"Uh, what'd you just say Chew?"

**[I said, if we don't do something...]**

"No, after that" Lando replied, looking out the viewport from between the wookiee and the girl.

**[What? That the Alliance isn't going to pop out of hyperspace and save us?]**

"Yeah, that."

**[Why?]**

"Because I've got some great news."

"Is that?" Mila asked.

"Yes, yes it is" he returned.

**[It's Home One.]**


End file.
